Angel Dust: Outtakes from the Angel Series
by drotuno
Summary: This is a collection of outtakes, futuretakes, and one shots from the Angel Series. Rated M E/B Slightly OOC
1. An Angel's Kiss

**A/N... Oh boy, here we go. I wasn't going to do this, write anymore Angelward, but this was too good to resist. I was invited to write for the lovely ladies over at Squeeze My Lemon, and the only thing I wanted, the only thing that I could even THINK of was Angelward. I had pushed off accepting the invitation for some time, because I just didn't have anything for them, but as time went on, Angelward kept pestering me. And I missed him so! So I decided that a little future take – just after An Angel's Promise – wouldn't hurt. The first problem was that I couldn't just write _a lemon. _I needed to give myself and you guys more than that, so this is fairly long. The second problem? Now I want more Angelward. LMAO But I don't really have a full length story. So see me at the bottom, and we'll talk about it.**

**Truly you understand that this is rated M for well...Dirty Edward and all things naughty. No, I don't own Twilight, but I have my own version of how she should have done things. Though SM rocks all on her own.**

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><p><strong>~oOo~<strong>

**An Angel's Kiss**

**Edward/Bella**

**AU/ All Vamp/Canon Couples – a future take from the Angel Series**

**~oOo~**

**BELLA**

"Sweet girl," my favorite velvet voice crooned, tugging the covers over our heads. He smelled so good, fresh from the shower. "It's time to get ready, baby. Please don't make Alice do that wake up call thing," he pleaded, his voice sounding sincere, but his hands, his lips were telling a completely different story. As he traced his long fingers down my spine, dropping kisses to my shoulder, his strong, shower-warm, naked body lined up behind mine. "She turns into the world's smallest dictator the first week of a new school, love. It's rather frightening."

I grinned, but buried it into my pillow, and shielded my thoughts from Edward. It wasn't like I was asleep – hell, we didn't sleep – but I just wasn't ready to face another new day at the new school. We'd started Rochester Academy in the middle of the year just a few days ago. It supposedly was the largest prep school in the state of New York. Not only was it large, but it was private, which meant...uniforms – a sore subject with Rose, Alice, and me, because we'd been tricked into the last private school. Our men had some sort of twisted, perverted attraction to pleated skirts and tight sweaters. We swore when we left England that we'd never attend another school that required uniforms, yet...here we were. And so was my uniform, hanging in the closet just mere feet away.

When Carlisle began to think we'd worn out our welcome in England, he'd put in for a transfer back to the States. Rose suggested Rochester, where she was originally from, because it had been long enough for the family to go back. It was my first time living there, as well as Alice and Jasper's, but Carlisle, Edward, and Esme's second. Rose just wanted to see what had changed since she'd been away.

School had been the major discussion the whole time we were packing up in England. My sisters and I wanted the big public high school, complete with football games, dances, and enough people, we could get lost in the crowd – not that we didn't stand out, because every last one of us were definitely different... and immortal, which attracted attention no matter how hard we tried to hide to fit in. Edward, Jasper, and Emmett had pushed for private again, because they said the subjects were a tad bit more interesting than regular public school. At least, that's what they'd tried to convince us. We weren't fooled.

I grimaced into my pillow at the memory of the lost bet that brought us to Rochester Academy. A simple game of pool – a game I was damned good at – and it all boiled down to one single ball. The eight ball was now my enemy. The bet on the table was our next educational stop. Men versus women. Private school versus public school. Jeans and Chucks versus knee high socks and plaid skirts.

Oh the cheating! It was shameless, though completely hilarious. It was flirting and sexual innuendos, and a long, lean body pressed to my back and the scent of honey and clean linen wafting over me as I tried to make my final shot, which landed in the middle of the next table and nowhere near the far corner pocket, where I was aiming. Edward was, by the purest of definitions, distracting.

"Beautiful," he purred again, his hand flattening against my stomach to pull my body flush to his, "I know it's the middle of the year. I know you hate it..."

I scowled under the covers, but my body was starting to betray me, and I knew well enough that Edward was starting something that we didn't have time to finish, especially if Alice caught wind of any naughty decision making this late in the morning. But he was so completely right. I did hate starting school in the middle of the year. The stares, the whispers, the rumors – they were all so blatantly obvious and made me extremely uncomfortable for the first few weeks.

"_Mrs. Cullen_," Edward growled low, dragging his teeth along my shoulder.

I giggled, because I damn well couldn't help it. Hearing my real name come from his sweet lips just did things to me. I felt his smile against my skin.

"I'm Bella Swan again, Edward," I sighed dramatically, looking back at him and rolling my eyes.

"Not in this bedroom, you aren't," he chuckled low, placing an open mouth kiss to my upper arm, but his sweet honey eyes never left mine as I pulled the covers off us.

"That's very true," I murmured, sitting up and giving our new room a quick glance.

There were still boxes left to be unpacked that were stacked in the corner, and I still wanted to hang mine and Edward's collection of favorite pictures on the far wall, but Esme had really done an amazing job for us, considering we were going from a house of our very own, to living with the family again. It was quite the adjustment, because we were used to our own private little bubble, and now we had to cope with constant company and perfect hearing. Poor Edward had to adjust to hearing the thoughts of our parents and siblings again, too. It wasn't easy, but it wasn't awful, either. It was just something that was a part of being a member of the Cullen family.

"I can still buy you your own house, Bella," Edward stated, the silly, sexy smirk now falling from his face as he studied my expression. He'd never admit it, but he hated it when he couldn't hear my mind.

"I know," I said, cupping his handsome face and smiling. "Thank you, baby, but it's better for this town that the 'kids' live under one roof. Don't you think?"

He grimaced, but finally acquiesced with a nod. "I suppose."

I could tell by the look on his face that he was not saying everything on his mind, but I knew him really well. Opening my thoughts to him, I smirked. _What's the matter, handsome? You miss letting Dirty Edward have free range?_

I held onto the best secret in the world. Edward Anthony Masen Cullen – a vampire well in his hundreds, my sweet husband, and a true and proper gentleman – had the dirtiest, sexiest, most toe-curling mouth that ever uttered a single word. And no one knew it but me. It was a secret that we kept from everyone – his family, most of all. It was a secret I planned on keeping for the rest of our existence together.

He snorted into a laugh. "Perhaps. There was a bit more..._freedom _at our own house."

I chuckled, brushing his damp hair off of his forehead so I could place a long, slow kiss there. "Yes... Yes, there was. I'm sure he'll break out as soon as the coast is clear."

He grinned up at me as I stood up from the bed. It was sexy and crooked and radiated all sorts of naughty things. "You think so, sweet girl?"

"If he doesn't, then I'm sending out a search party, Edward," I laughed, starting to head to the bathroom, but he stopped me, picking up my hand to place a kiss to my wedding ring – his mother's ring, and something I never, ever took off.

He sat up on the bed, swinging his legs to the floor so he could tug me to stand between them. Several years of marriage to the man at my fingertips wasn't long enough to get used to his beauty. He was just gorgeous as he leaned in to give _his_ immortal scar just above my breast a sweet kiss. It was over my heart, and I swear every time his lips touched it, my body still felt a faint, ghostly thump-thump.

"A search party would attract...attention, my beautiful girl," he snickered as he set his chin on my stomach in order to gaze up at me. His eyes darkened just a bit as his hands glided sensually up and down my bare back.

"True," I said, taking his hands from around my waist and giving his wedding band a quick turn. I was just about to place his hands where I really wanted them, but I'd forgotten that the pixie was on school patrol duty.

"Oh no you don't!" Alice warned from from the bottom of the stairs. "We'll be late, Isabella Marie! Get your asses out of bed!"

"Oh, I know she didn't middle name me," I growled, rolling my eyes at the craziness that was my best friend and sister. I let go of Edward and backed away. If I didn't leave him then, we'd never hear the end of it from Alice. "Get dressed before she barges in here, Edward," I ordered, walking into the bathroom.

Edward's deep, sexy laugh echoed through the room, and I could still hear it when I closed the bathroom door.

~oOo~

"I don't get it," I sighed, leaning back against Edward's car – a Volvo he'd had in storage since we'd left for England. "You're over a hundred years old, baby. How have you gone this long unable to tie your own freakin' tie?" I teased with narrowed eyes, tugging him to me and proceeding to work the rough navy blue material into a Windsor knot.

"That's because _Mom_ did it," Emmett taunted like a child from the other side of the car as he held the door for Rose. He grinned, all boyish with dimples, ignoring Edward's low warning growl.

Edward smiled and tilted his head at me sheepishly, looking every bit the seventeen year old that he was frozen as. He shrugged one shoulder, admitting, "Esme always did it."

I stopped, gazing up at him and falling just a little bit more in love with him, if only for his sweet honesty. I shook my head, straightened the knot, and wrapped the tie around my hand so that I could bring him in closer.

"I love you," I stated softly.

He cupped the side of my face, bringing me in for a kiss that was over all too soon. "Love you, too. Am I presentable, Bella?" he asked, gliding his nose up one side of mine and down the other.

Heartbeats all over the school parking lot sputtered out of control with that one simple gesture. I glanced around to see staring girls pretending to _not_ stare at us or our siblings. These were spoiled teens – used to getting what they wanted. They were preparing for Ivy League schools, careers in their family's businesses, and lives of leisure. They would get it all, I was sure. But the one thing they wanted most was information on us. Okay, specifically, the girls wanted the low down on Edward and my brothers. The boys were just ogling, drooling, walking piles of hormones, and more than one had run into a wall at the sight of Rosalie.

"Yeah, you're killin' em, baby. Breakin' hearts left and right," I said wryly. "Let's go."

I didn't need to read minds like Edward did to understand the phenomenon we were as we walked down the hallway toward our lockers. I knew what we looked like. Three couples, three sets of siblings. All adopted or foster children, all very attractive. Our grace, our calm, our interaction mainly with one another just added to the mix. This time, Rose and Jasper had taken the name Hale, Alice and I were Swan, and Edward and Emmett were Cullen – the only adopted kids of the young Dr. Carlisle Cullen and his wife, Esme.

I grabbed my book for the first class, shoving it into my bag, and then Edward took it from me, swinging it gracefully to his shoulder.

"You ready, beautiful?" he asked with a wry smirk, but froze when Alice inhaled sharply, a sign that she was having a vision.

Edward sighed, tilting his head at whatever they were seeing. "What subject, Alice?"

"Chemistry and Free Period," she stated, and Jasper and I sighed, because being with two all knowing, all seeing people could be frustrating when they didn't share.

"What?" we finally asked them at the same time.

"Substitute teacher," Alice stated, shrugging. "Looks like he'll be here for a few days."

I looked up to Jasper, shaking my head. "Damn, and I was hoping for a new kid."

He grinned, shoving my shoulder. "Nope...you must suffer a little longer, Bella."

Edward chuckled, wrapping his arm around my shoulder. "Let's go, love. The bell's about to ring."

Carlisle always tried to set up our schedules when he enrolled us. He made sure – though I'm not convinced it wasn't a bribe – that we didn't take any Phys. Ed., and that Edward and I were in most of the same classes. We were starting out as juniors, along with Alice and Jasper. Rose and Emmett were seniors, because we just weren't sure how long we were staying in New York, so we gave ourselves at least two years.

Edward and I were taking Italian this time around, though he was already fluent. I was getting there, thanks to our frequent visits to Volterra, but still, it was a nice change from Spanish.

We took our seats at our table, and Edward tilted his head to listen to the chatter around him, but I knew he was hearing their minds, as well. He sniffed, shook his head once, and locked his golden gaze on me.

"It seems the substitute teacher has a...following," he stated softly, picking up a lock of my hair and twirling it lightly around his fingers.

"What? Like he's good looking or something?"

He snorted and shrugged. "I suppose. And young. Fresh out of college, it would seem."

I looked up when a girl I recognized by the name of Virginia walked in with her friend, sitting down at the table beside us. "Nice, Mr. Gilder is here today. I just saw his fine ass in the hallway. I guess Mrs. Bailey finally went into labor..."

I giggled, shooting a smug Edward a wry smile, but we both turned our attention to Mr. Styler when he addressed the class. He turned toward the blackboard and continued the process of conjugating verbs. It was dull, mindless work, especially when our vampire minds remembered everything we read.

I gazed out the window into the overcast, misty day. I daydreamed about our last hunting trip, our move into the new house, and all things Edward, the latter earning me a sweet, soft caress to my bare knee, because as was usual, I'd left my thoughts open for him to see. Long, knowing fingers traced around my knee cap, up my thigh, and teased just under the hem of my short, blue plaid skirt, only to glide back down and start all over. About the third pass, and I was fidgeting in my seat, my thoughts veering off into more dangerous territory.

"Careful, sweet girl," he chuckled so softly that only I could hear him, and I grinned, looking down at my notes and not his face. "Don't tease, love."

I snorted into a soft laugh, smacking his hand away, thinking, _Who's teasing whom, Edward?_

He placed his hands on the table top, his face taking on a falsely innocent expression, and I rolled my eyes. He was the most deadly of creatures, and not for reasons he thought. It wasn't that he was a vampire, that he could read minds, or even the strength and speed he had. It was the insatiable seventeen year old that lived inside of him. It was the over the top, head over heels, no holds barred way he loved me that made him dangerous, because I was barely able to refrain from kissing him stupid right there in class.

By the time we made it to English, I'd heard more about Mr. Gilder. Apparently, he was hot, young, and an easy going teacher. According to the girls babbling in the hallways, he was a cross between Colin Farrell and Hugh Jackman, in some bad boy, yet clean cut sort of way. They liked that he was fun and a little flirtatious. And the fact that he had a nice ass just added to it.

As Miss Mathers droned on and on about _A Tale of Two Cities_, I lost myself in the song that Edward was humming faintly to himself. I could hear the scratching of his pen behind me, and I knew he was doing more than taking notes; he was writing to me. He always did. He hummed _My Love_ by Paul McCartney, playing with my hair at the base of my neck as I leaned my elbow back onto his desk. I smirked, loving the little things about us, the comfortable things, because there was nothing better than a happy Edward. He'd been to school a million times before he met me in Forks. He'd trudged through it, hating every angsty teenage thought, every ogle, every whisper behind a hand. He'd been alone, sad, and just a little lost, but not anymore. He'd happily attend any high school or college, as long as we did it together.

"Mmhm," I heard him sigh in contentment and agreement at my thoughts, his pen never stopping.

Just before the bell rang, he leaned forward and gave my neck a quick kiss, slipping the note into my hand. "See you at lunch, beautiful," he said, holding his hand out for me to help me up out of my chair.

"Okay," I said with a nod, trudging out of the classroom and down the hall to the room I took World History with Jasper.

I fell into my usual chair, waiting for him to arrive, and opened my note. I never knew what was going through Edward's mind, until he put it down on paper. It could be naughty, it could be sweet, and it could be so romantic that my eyes would burn with the need to shed tears that could no longer fall.

_My beautiful wife,_

_There's a boy two rows over that thinks you may be the most beautiful thing he's ever seen in his long sixteen years on this planet. He thinks the bluish-gray light streaming in from the rainy morning outside makes you look like a ghost or an apparition, like you're not really there._

_Personally, I have to disagree with him. Although you are beautiful in any light, I prefer you in candlelight._

_Do you remember our last trip to Isle Esme, Mrs. Cullen? Do you remember the bathtub and the bubbles and the forty-seven candles all around it burning softly down to nothing? I do. I also remember moonlight streaming in the open French doors, bringing the sea breeze with it. I remember holding you above the water and watching myself move in you, hearing you cry out for me. My name._

_Your skin was slick and soft and warm, shining in the glow of all those candles. I remember gripping you as you gripped the side of the tub. And I distinctly remember the sound of water splashing over the side as you shattered in my arms, your perfect naked form rolling over the top of the water like the most perfect wave._

_Young Jonathan may _think_ you're beautiful under these harsh florescents, he may _think_ that you're the prettiest thing in the school, but these are things I _know_. I know that you're the most beautiful woman I've ever laid eyes on. And I know just what you look like wrapped around me, drowning in the sheets of our bed. So while Jonathan lives out some nondescript fantasy in his mundane mind, I will lose myself in the memory of the reality of you._

_I am one very, very lucky man. And I love you, sweet girl._

_Always,_

_Edward_

My forehead hit the desk with a soft thump, and I shook my head against it when I heard Jasper's amused chuckle as he took his seat beside me.

"Hmm," he mused, obviously feeling whatever my emotions were dishing out. "That is _so_ not warm and fuzzy. It's quite...elevated from that."

I grinned, picking up my head to try and glare at him, but I couldn't. He was right, because Edward truly lived to dazzle me in every way possible – his written words being one of them.

"Shut it, Jasper," I sighed, folding the note carefully and tucking it into my bag.

"He's pushing out a bit of mischief today, I've noticed," he added, setting his history book down. "Should prove interesting by the end of the day."

I giggled, shoving his arm lightly and opened my own book as Mr. Foster turned on the overhead projector to start writing notes.

~oOo~

Lunch was not my favorite time of day, despite the fact that we sat in the back together as a family. It didn't matter that Edward was by my side, holding my hand or playing with my hair as I read a book. It didn't matter that my family chatted and laughed as though none of the stares and whispers made them wary.

I hated being the focus of rumors and ogling. I hated even more that Edward was stared at like a fat kid stares at a piece of cake under glass.

Edward chuckled, kissing the top of my head as I pressed my temple to his shoulder. "I like that one, baby," he snickered. "In fact, the fat kid..."

"Edward Cullen!" I gasped, sitting up straight and trying my damnedest to glare at him, but the laughter at the table made it impossible. "He's nice!" I hissed.

"What?" he asked, wearing the most adorable of curious faces.

"Oh my God, Edward. Finish that sentence, please," Rose chuckled, playing with a pack of crackers that was sitting at the table.

I raised an eyebrow at him, but he continued anyway. "I was simply going to say that the 'fat kid' wasn't staring at me, but at Mr. Gilder."

"Oh," I said, spinning around to look at the poor boy known as Henry Bellows.

He was a sweet thing, but rather on the large side, and he – yes, he – had a _massive_ crush on Edward. Except today. Today, he was staring toward the teacher's table in the lunchroom, and I finally caught sight of the man all the girls – and Henry – were muttering about. He was young, with dark hair and a carefree smile as he chatted with Miss Mathers. He looked to have a healthy physique – lean, with a swimmer's body and broad shoulders. A strong jaw line and long eyelashes were the best features of his face, but he was...

"Eh," I scoffed, rolling my eyes and shrugging, because he didn't come anywhere near Edward, as far as I was concerned. Then again, I might have been biased; he was my husband and eternal mate, after all. I pulled my book back up to my face until the bell rang.

Chemistry was next, and despite the fact that it was as close to Biology that Edward and I could get, we still had to behave ourselves, because Alice and Jasper were in the class with us. It didn't help that Jasper and I hated Chemistry with a passion, so getting into trouble was too easy.

I took my bag that Edward was handing me and dropped my book onto our table, before setting the bag down and taking my seat. I pulled the closest beaker to me, but Jasper turned around and squirted an eyedropper full of some liquid that had my stuff turning pink and fizzy.

"You ass," I laughed, picking up my book and smacking him with it, careful to use human movements in front of the class. "Clean it up, Jazz!"

Edward laughed as I threw a roll of paper towels at my brother, which only succeeded in us ending up in a tug of war with the damn things.

"What happened here?" I heard to my right, and I let go of the roll to look up at Mr. Gilder, but it was the low, deep growl to my left coming from Edward that caught my attention.

"Just a spill," I replied.

Mr. Gilder tilted his head at me, but a slow smile spread over his face. "He added sodium, didn't he?"

"I don't know," I sighed, smacking Jasper again, "but he's cleaning it now."

"I'd do what she said," he chuckled, looking to Jasper, whose eyes flickered to Edward briefly. "She looks like she means it," he stated with a smile, before walking up to the head of the class. "Now, who's ready for some fun with chemistry?"

I finally looked to Edward, who's eyes were black. He was gripping the side of the chem table as he muttered, "I'll show _you_ chemistry..."

~oOo~

**EDWARD**

_She sure as hell doesn't act seventeen_..._and those fucking legs!_

I closed my eyes, before slowly glaring up at Mr. Gilder as he sat at the desk of our free study period. His thoughts since he'd first caught sight of Bella a few days ago had not stopped. They ranged from long, mental caresses of her entire being, her legs specifically, to her long locks that spilled down her back and around her shoulders. But it was _more_ than that. He noticed her maturity, her intelligence, and her wry sense of humor. He was mentally skating on the edge of thinking she was older than she claimed, that there was _something_ more than met the eye. And he was absolutely thrilled that she had back to back classes with him.

Emmett huffed, folding his arms across his massive chest, as even he caught the guy staring. _Oh, Ed...I swear to God..._

I grunted, not even needing him to finish that sentence, because as much as Mr. Gilder was aware of my Bella and her beauty and all the things that made her just stunning, he was also very, _very_ aware of me and Emmett and Jasper. We made the man extremely nervous, because deep down, he knew that staring at a "seventeen" year old girl was inexcusable in his profession, and all of us had caught him more than once since he'd started filling in at the school.

Carlisle said the man may not have been able to help himself, that maybe he was picking up on Bella's human age of twenty, but I didn't care. My protective nature when it came to all things concerning her knew no bounds. None. She was my wife, my mate, my Bella. Everything about her was my responsibility – from the importance of being her sire and making sure she came across as a teenage girl and hunted enough, to spoiling her rotten as my wife. Her happiness, her well being, and her immortality all rested on my shoulders – a job I did not take lightly.

A notebook slapped down in front of me, and I spun my head, finding my gaze locked with sweet, chocolate eyes. I'd never been more grateful that her shield allowed her to keep them after her change – technically, she forced them to be brown...for me.

_You know whatever he's thinking, just doesn't matter, Edward_, she thought to me, raising a dangerous eyebrow at me.

Her mind circled around thoughts of just ignoring his behavior, because it happened to all of us at some time or another. A human would find us attractive, almost becoming obsessed with our looks and the mystery of us, but if we continued as we normally would, the obsession would fade into the background of their minds. I knew she was right, but sometimes, it was damned hard to ignore.

_You know the only man in this room that I want is you, baby, so let it go_. Her thoughts concluded with a hand to my thigh under the table.

I picked up her hand, turned her wedding ring several times, before finally linking our fingers together. Her strong mind, her sweet scent, and her unwavering love for me were the only things on this God forsaken earth that could calm me.

"I'm sorry, love," I murmured, dragging the notebook that she'd set down closer. "I can't help it."

"Yes, you can," she chuckled, rolling her eyes at me. "He's not a bad guy, baby."

"But he's not good, either," I countered almost in a growl, knowing she was using that amazing shield of hers to come to that conclusion. "You haven't pulled him in."

"Nor have I pushed him away," she muttered back, but her eyes were starting to flare with her temper. "Edward, I'm telling you... Let it go. This isn't as important as you're making it out to be."

My girl's shield was an amazing phenomenon. Not only could she allow me into her brilliant mind, which wasn't unlike hearing the voice of an angel, but she could protect herself, those around her, and block out the scent of human blood if she needed. She could also block out every mind for me if I needed, leaving me with just the calm tenor of her own. But an extra perk was that she could sense good and bad in people. The shield would automatically shove people out of the way if she didn't like them and pull them in if she did, like it had with our friends Kevin and Adrian, who we'd met in England. It wasn't a physical push and pull, but a feeling that she would receive. It was quite intriguing to witness – both mentally and personally.

I took a deep breath and opened the notebook. I snickered at what was in it, looking over at her. "What's this?"

"Calculus," she whined, pushing it closer to me. "I hate it. Help me."

My girl hated all things numbers related. It didn't matter the level or the subject. She preferred her books, her histories, her creative writing. It wasn't like she couldn't do the math, but she hated it, all the same.

"You should have done this last night, Bella," I chided dramatically, shaking my head at her and tsking at the same time.

"Don't even go there," she hissed, switching to thoughts. _It's your fault I didn't do any homework._

I grinned, dragging my tongue along my bottom lip, because she was right, and I could almost still taste her. "My fault..." I mused, letting the words hang sensually in the air between us.

She nodded and folded her arms across her chest, but I watched as her eyes swirled from sweet brown to almost pitch black at the memory of the night before. She shook her head to clear it, and I tried to wipe the smug look off of my face, but I stopped when one flickering thought flew through her mind before she pushed it away. She wanted my attention, because I was too focused on the teacher at the front of the class that was now watching her legs cross one over the other. In her mind, he just didn't matter. It bothered her that I was over-thinking it, because crushes happened to all of us all the damn time.

I took a deep breath and let it out, grabbing the pencil out of her hand. "Calculus," I stated with a firm nod, pulling her chair closer with my foot. "Come on. We have a few minutes before you have to turn it in next period."

~oOo~

I decided to skip the last class after I walked Bella to her Calculus classroom. We were met at the door by Alice, who shook her head at me.

_Keep it up, and she'll get really mad, Edward_, she thought to me, showing me that if I continued to fret over this teacher, Bella would snap. _He won't approach her, won't touch her. He's just...looking. He's made no other decision, other than to stay away from her. But he can't help what he sees, brother. You of all people should know that._

I grimaced, giving her a single nod. I placed a kiss to Bella's forehead. "See you at the car after school, love."

For the last hour of the day, I sat in my car and listened to music. I was in no mood for Current Events or Henry's stares. The weather was chilly, but I left the driver's side door open, with my foot planted on the ground as I listened to a wide range of genres – angry metal, fifties rock, and finally, the playlist that was just...Bella. By the time the bell rang, signaling the end of the day, I was a little calmer.

I smelled her before I heard her mind, looking up when she nudged my leg with her own. I smiled up at her.

"Skipping?" she asked, putting her hands on her hips in a very Alice sort of way.

"Yeah," I sighed with a shrug, but we both noticed when Mr. Gilder walked out toward the teacher's parking lot, his head turned her way and his arms filled with books. I frowned, because his mind once again soaked up the sight of my girl.

Bella huffed a frustrated sigh, but set her bag on the roof of the car, and suddenly, I found her cradled in my lap, her back against the center console and her legs out the door and over my own. I chuckled down at her wry, silly smile, because I knew what was coming next without having to read her mind. Hungry lips met my own, proving a point.

Strong, small hands slipped up each side of my face and into my hair, gripping and turning my head. She shifted slightly, her moan muffled against my mouth, but it was the sweet, sweet smell of her arousal that caused a low purring growl to rumble through my chest. I pulled her all the way inside the car and shut the door, leaving the window partially down. At that point, I didn't care who was watching, because she was letting me mark my territory for all to see.

She. Was. Mine.

My hand that was cradling her back, slipped forcefully into the hair at the base of her skull, bending her head back so that I could ravish her neck, dragging my teeth just the way she liked it along the spot behind her ear. My free hand could not stay away from her legs, those powerful thighs, so I ghosted my fingers between them, and then up the outside, tracing the edge of her underwear. I gripped a fistful of lace and satin by her hip and under her skirt, practically shaking with the need to tear, to rip, to take her no matter that we were in a school parking lot.

Bella sat up in my lap, and I hissed at the contact with my arousal, but I pulled her closer anyway. I let go of her underwear, opting to cup her breast over the outer layers of her clothes, and she gasped, before crashing her mouth back into mine.

Swirling her tongue with mine, she exhaled roughly against my cheek, finally dragging her teeth over my bottom lip. She pressed her forehead to mine, closing her eyes as we both tried to calm down. Our breathing was in pants, though truly, we didn't need the air.

"Say it, Edward... Say it, 'cause it will make you feel better about it..." she whispered, kissing my chin, and then my lips again.

"You're mine, Bella," I growled, grabbing both sides of her face and glaring up into her lust-filled eyes. "You're fucking _mine_. He needs to understand that, my sexy girl. There's not a spot on you that I haven't touched, licked, or fucked. Everything about you belongs to me...from your brilliant mind, to that delicious pussy, my love." I crooned the last sentence, simply because I knew the reaction I'd get.

The whimper that escaped her accompanied the heady, floral scent of her arousal increasing at just my words, my declaration. She loved that I claimed her that way, because she owned me just the same, but she loved even more the sound of my voice using foul language. Personally, I'd give her anything she wanted, but sometimes, it just...fit. And sometimes, I just lived to drive her crazy.

"There he is," she snickered breathlessly, a little sexy as hell smile curling up on her kiss bruised lips as she referred to "Dirty Edward" – a label she'd tacked on to that side of me when we weren't so sweet, weren't so gentle. "Hmm, damn, I've missed him," she purred, nibbling on that perfect bottom lip of hers.

"He has to hide again, my sweet, beautiful girl," I whispered back as I rubbed the outside of her bare thigh lightly, my eyes flickering to the sight of our siblings walking across the parking lot together.

Alice had given us this small moment, if only for Mr. Gilder's sake, but it was time to go home.

She sighed, pulling back to gaze at me with eyes that were back to their rightful color. "Okay." She smiled, her gaze finally leaving mine to look around the parking lot.

Mr. Gilder was walking back into the school, his thoughts a jumbled mess of disappointment and arousal. He was still attracted to her, but he couldn't deny how she looked at me – like I was the center of her universe.

~oOo~

"Not too much, sweet girl," I told Bella as we measured items for our in-class work.

She grinned up at me, her eyes sparkling with mischief when she thought, _You never complained about too much before, Edward_.

"Bella..." I huffed a laugh, bracing my arms on the lab table and shaking my head. "I was talking about this...stuff we're supposed to be mixing."

"Oh," she giggled, bumping me with her hip. "Fine," she sighed, tapping the powder into the beaker.

I looked over at her, unable to fight my smile, because God, I just loved her with an insanity. She'd been trying _so hard_ to ignore Mr. Gilder for the last few days. In fact, she hadn't made one mention of him over the weekend. As far as she was concerned, he barely existed.

_He_ watched _her_, though. My head snapped up as his mind registered her giggle, her smile, her biting of her bottom lip as she teased me. He also debated on whether to separate us or not – a thought that just about made me rabid, especially when he dared to approach our table.

"Do I have to split you up with other partners, Miss Swan? Mr. Cullen?" Mr. Gilder asked, but before I could say a word, another table exploded into laughter.

I smiled humorlessly, shaking my head. "Perhaps, if you were focused on _all_ the tables, instead of just..._this one_," I started with a low voice, making it a point to twirl Bella's ponytail around my hand, "then you would recognize that the entire class is being...hmmm..._disruptive_." I shrugged one shoulder at him, still maintaining my physical contact with my girl's hair and eye contact with him.

He flinched, sniffing haughtily, but I could smell his fear – fear that was increased by Jasper's fantastic talent. He and Alice were turned around in front of us to keep an eye on the situation, but Alice's visions were blank, because no one had made a decision yet.

Mr. Gilder smelled like adrenaline, shame, and cheap aftershave that had worn off about four hours ago. "Mr. Cullen, it isn't for you to decide who I pay attention to. Maybe I _should_ split you up..."

I snickered, shaking my head. "Maybe, but it would be a mistake, considering the task is finished," I told him, pushing our notes, the beaker, and the ingredients toward him. "And...there are only three minutes left of class."

I knew, besides Alice and Jasper, that Bella and I were the first ones to complete the task; all the other students were turning in partial work. I waited for Mr. Gilder to say something more, but he didn't. He took our project and walked away.

_Now you've done it_, Alice thought to me, a little evil laugh behind her words, because the bell hadn't even began to ring before Bella was packed up and out the door.

_Oh, she's pissed, Ed_, Jasper sighed, shaking his head. _You know...she only wants _your_ attention, bro. She's been vying for it all damn week. Forget the teacher...he just thinks she's hot. Emmett deals with it at every school we attend. It's just bigger when you can actually hear the thoughts._

I grimaced, running a hand through my hair before grabbing my books and leaving the room. It wasn't hard to track Bella down to the ladies bathroom just outside our free period class. Her scent of strawberries and freesia called to me, but I didn't go inside. Yet.

"Hiding in there won't stop me from coming to get you, love," I muttered low, but I knew she could hear me.

_Edward Anthony Masen Cullen_, she thought to me, causing me to flinch_, don't you dare! There are three other girls in here. You'll be branded a pervert or something._

I smirked, shaking my head and leaning casually against the wall. When she finally came out, I could see there was something _more_ going on by the look in her eyes. They were dark, but sparkling beautifully with anger and what looked like...revenge. Her shield snapped down over her thoughts, but she walked to me, grabbing my front pocket.

"Maybe you'll understand that I don't care about that damn teacher, Edward," she growled, stuffing something down deep into my pocket. "It's not about _him_."

She spun on her heel and walked away from me, almost too fast, but luckily, the halls were empty. I reached into my pocket, and my fingers wrapped around a soft piece of cloth. My back fell against the wall when I held up Bella's underwear – small, lace, icy blue boy shorts. I didn't know whether to be pissed off that she would remove them at school, especially since we had Mr. Gilder again next class, or turned the hell on, because damn, that was just...sexy.

"Shit," I hissed, squeezing my eyes closed, because she was going to class like that.

I carefully shoved them back down into my pocket and hurried down the hall, but she was already walking in by the time I reached the door.

She said nothing as she took her seat seat next to Rose and across from Emmett, leaving the head of the table for me. Rose's eyebrows shot up to her hairline as she registered Bella's anger, but as I sat down and before either of our siblings could say anything, Bella snapped.

"_What _did we tell you guys when you dragged us to the first private school where we had to wear these ridiculous uniforms?" she practically growled, but still using a low tone. Her question was directed at Emmett.

"Um...I think we weren't allowed to fight, and no jealousy," he answered, shooting a nervous glance up at me. _What the fuck did_ you_ do?_

"And?" she asked, turning her fiery gaze my way. "You specifically, Edward."

I groaned, because I knew what was coming. "You said you didn't want to hear any dirty thoughts aimed toward you and the girls," I answered, sounding like an admonished child. "And I said I would _try_, Bella..." What I didn't add was that she'd said I wasn't allowed to get mad when she was made to dress like a "dirty teacher's wet dream" – a statement that still shocked me coming from her mouth, but it was the truth, nonetheless.

Rose chuckled, shaking her head. "Teacher again?" she asked Bella, who huffed and nodded.

Bella took out her Calculus work, setting it loudly on the table, but she wouldn't look at me. The fact that she was sitting there, all casual and pissed off, without underwear was one thing when she just sat there, but when she smirked my way and got up to saunter to the pencil sharpener right next to Mr. Gilder, I about lost my mind.

My fists clenched on top of our table as I watched him watch her. No, he couldn't see what I knew was missing underneath that short skirt, but the mere idea of it was maddening. Our encounter in Chemistry was still running through his mind as he took in her legs, before shaking his head. He looked up to me, and his heart sputtered when he realized I'd caught him. Yet again.

"Damn it," I sighed, practically shaking with the need to steal her out of the room.

When she sat gracefully back down in her seat, I opened my mouth to speak, but snapped it closed when she pointed her now very sharp pencil at me.

"Don't," she whispered, shaking her head. "I told you to let it go. You didn't. Suffer the consequences."

I sat back in my chair, folding my arms across my chest and ignoring Rose's and Emmett's amusement at this situation. Bella and I rarely fought, but usually it was over something stupid or something I'd done without thinking – not unlike this.

I sulked the entire period, flinching when Bella was so mad that she could barely keep her shield over her thoughts. Snippets of internal rants came flying at me, and I winced at every last one of them.

_Stupid over-protective hundred year old vampire..._

_Ugly teachers just this shy of pedophiles...can't keep their eyes to themselves..._

_I don't have to read minds everywhere we go to know what women think of _him_! Do I flip the hell out? No..._

But it was the last thought just before the bell rang that stopped me cold and wracked my frame with guilt.

_College is one thing, but high school is _our time. _Doesn't he fucking know that? It's where we met..._

She packed up her books, standing up as the bell rang, but I grabbed her arm, because she had to know I saw it the same way.

"Bella, wait," I pleaded, barely giving our siblings a glance when they mentally wished me luck, though Emmett told me to get her out of school, because she looked like she was about to blow.

"No," she huffed, jerking her hand away from me and leaving the room.

I caught up to her easily, because the halls were crowded and she couldn't move as quickly as I could see that she wanted to. "Come with me," I said, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and guiding her in the opposite direction of our next classes.

"Edward," she growled, but acquiesced anyway.

I navigated the school, avoiding the scurrying students just trying to make it on time to their last class of the day. We came out the back of the campus, where the new gym was under construction, but Bella jerked us to a halt.

"What, Edward?" She glared up at me, and I could see now that it wasn't anger that was making her act this way; it was hurt feelings.

"No, I have to tell you something, and I need as much privacy as I can get," I told her smoothly, but inside, I was aching to fix my mistake.

She couldn't help it that her happiness, her beauty, her sweet demeanor attracted men left and right, and she didn't know a fraction of the thoughts I heard about her. Instead of reveling that it was me that she loved, wanted, needed, I'd allowed my possessive nature to take over with this teacher.

He so wasn't worth it.

I continued to guide her away from the school to the nearly finished gym. When we made it to the doors, I glanced around, making sure no one had seen us and listened for any close minds. There wasn't anyone around. With a simple grip and twist, the thick, heavy chain snapped apart in my hand, leaving the door free to open.

Once inside, I took her bag and my books and set them down on the closest crate. Taking her hand, I led her to the new bleachers that I'd seen put in the week before, around the side, and underneath them. If someone came in, at least we could hide.

Bella folded her arms across her chest, glaring more at my sternum than my face. I tilted her face up to mine with my fingers under her chin.

"I'm sorry," I urged, hoping she knew I meant it. "I can't—"

"Help it," she finished for me, but her tone was wry, sarcastic. "Yes, I know. Can we go now?" she asked, turning to leave, but I just couldn't let her.

~oOo~

**BELLA**

Edward's fingers wrapped gently around my wrist as I turned away from him. It wasn't that he'd continued to fret over this stupid, ogling teacher; it was that I'd asked him to stop, because I just _knew_ he'd work himself up into a frenzy over it. To me, someone else's thoughts about me just weren't all that important. To him, they were insulting and disrespectful and a threat to what was his.

"Bella, love...please, hear me out." He turned me around, and before he could apologize again – because his face read like a damn book – I pointed a finger at him.

"He's not a threat, Edward," I stated, my voice rougher than I'd intended. "He's not an enemy or someone you have to defend me from. He's just a..._guy_. I asked you to let it go. If we had ignored him, he would have moved on to someone else, gotten another teaching job, or whatever." I waved a hand in the air. "I was trusting Alice with his decisions. He's harmless and insignificant in the grand scheme of things."

Edward's nose wrinkled as he let out a heavy exhale. "I'm sorry, Bella." His hand shot to his hair, gripping it roughly, before letting his arm fall back down to his side. "You don't know what it's like..._hearing them_. Seeing them fantasize about things _I_ want or have done... It's disturbing."

"And inaccurate, Edward. They don't know me."

"Doesn't matter," he stated, practically pouting.

I smiled, suddenly curious as to what my insatiable husband could possibly have left to daydream about, when we had been making love since I was human. There wasn't a spot on our bodies that the two of us hadn't memorized. There weren't wants or needs or curiosities that we hadn't addressed.

"If I reacted that way every time a girl looked at you, Edward, I'd have to annihilate the damn school," I growled, rolling my eyes. "And that includes the fucking office staff. Not to mention the lady at the drug store where we bought school supplies. Do you want the damn list?"

"No," he grumped, his brow furrowing.

"Too bad," I snapped, poking my finger in his chest. "The new neighbor's eighteen year old daughter, the nurses at Carlisle's work... How about that sweet, little blonde thing at the gas station you stop at?"

"She likes Jasper!" he countered loudly.

"She wants you both! _At the same time_!" I chuckled at his exaggerated grimace, shaking my head. "Damn it," I sighed, folding my arms across my chest. "I don't need to read minds, but I can _hear_. It's annoying and disturbing, but I let it go. I find humor in it, because I know they don't stand a fucking chance with you."

He smirked, but fought it. "That's true, sweet girl."

"I have faith in that, so nothing else matters," I stated with a shrug. "I know you can't help but hear them, Edward. And I know that everything about you is about my welfare, but this really isn't important."

"I know, baby," he said, shoving his hands in his pockets and looking up at me through his long eyelashes with a slight tilt to his head so that his hair fell to his brow in a sexy disarray. It really was his most deadly weapon, that look. "I'm sorry."

Internally, I groaned, because there was no way on earth I could stay mad at him. Most of his reactions were deeply ingrained in him. They were years of protecting me. It was years of not having a mate, and he'd do _anything _to hold onto it, now that he'd found one. It was a touch of possessive teen boyfriend, added to the instinct of a vampire husband. I was his life. He knew no other way.

"There's nothing to forgive, Edward. Just please let it go," I begged. "We have to fit in, if only for Carlisle's sake. He likes the new hospital."

Edward nodded, looking admonished, but he swallowed thickly. "I love you...too much, it seems," he admitted softly, with the sweetest, most crooked smile he'd ever worn.

I giggled. "I love you, too, baby. I just wanted to play with you this time around at school."

He shifted on his feet, his eyes darkening just a bit, before he spoke. "And just what was _this_ about?" he asked, pulling my underwear out of his pocket. I reached for them, only to have them pulled away, out of my reach. "Not so fast," he chuckled. "Answer the question."

"Only you knew that I wasn't wearing them," I started to explain as he stepped closer to me. "You needed to understand that you're the only opinion I care about, Edward. Going back to school isn't about _school – _it's about getting to be with you."

"If my heart still beat, Bella, it would have stopped," he chided gently, shaking his head, but my underwear was pocketed swiftly back into his pants.

I grinned up at him as he slowly walked me back against the wall. He was stalking me, guiding me exactly where he wanted me.

"I'm not getting them back, am I?" I asked, biting my lip when he shook his head slowly.

"No," he said, his voice deep and husky. "I don't think so, Bella."

"I can't go to class..."

"No class," he rumbled, stepping close enough now that he was pressing me into the wall. His hands shot out to the concrete blocks behind me, trapping me in the cage of his arms and cracking the bricks just a bit.

"Don't tear this place down before it's finished, Edward," I warned him, but my body was reacting instantly to him. The electric tingle that always surrounded us revved up to a crackling spark, and my chest rose and fell with every pant.

He shrugged one shoulder. "They'll crack even more when I pick you up and fuck you against them," he crooned, dragging his nose down my jaw to my ear, where he left a long, slow, open mouth kiss, but his hands teasingly met my thighs, skimming slowly up to where I was bare for him. "Mmm, clearly this was and still is an invitation, my sweet, naughty girl."

My whole being shuddered, because Dirty Edward had just walked into the gym, and there was no one to stop him this time. Edward smiled against my neck, hearing my thoughts, but he proceeded to kiss across my throat to the other side of my neck.

"What were you hoping for, my love?" he asked, his voice silken and caressing me in places that his hands and lips weren't. "Did you want my touch in class? Did you want me to make you come when you couldn't make a sound?"

"No...I just..." The ability to speak was quickly leaving me as two strong hands cupped my ass and squeezed in a sensual rhythm. I reached up, tugging his school tie loose and dropping it to the floor. I needed his skin.

"Or did you want me to lay you across the desk and drink this sweet pussy dry, baby?" he asked, his fingers slipping through my folds, where he found me so ready for him. "Maybe you wanted to ride me in the girls' bathroom?"

"Edward," I breathed, fumbling with his shirt buttons, only to finally be able to shove it off his shoulders. "Here?" I asked, looking around, but he didn't say anything.

He stepped back, shirking his shirt off the rest of the way. I felt the loss of him pressed against me instantly. "Off, love. Take that shirt off," he ordered, standing there, deliciously bare from the waist up – all abs and pecs and that gorgeous vee, not to mention the sexy dusting of hair down into his waistband.

My own button down met the floor, leaving me in an ice blue lacy bra and my short, blue plaid, pleated skirt. Nothing else. I leaned against the wall, raising my hands above my head and gazing up at him, because I knew he loved to just look. I knew he loved lingerie and short skirts. And I knew he loved me.

He smirked, nodding in agreement with every thought, his eyes darkening when I planted a foot up against the wall. I opened my arms to him, and he stepped back to me, ghosting his fingers across my shoulder, my collarbone, and just inside the cups of my bra. His eyes watched every move he was doing with his hands – every flick of a nipple, every grip of a thigh, and every bite I gave to my bottom lip. It was all I could do not to beg him, plead with him.

"Beg for what?" he asked, skimming up my propped up leg and hitching it around his waist.

"Kiss," I breathed. "Please..."

He hummed in approval, allowing his hips to press into mine, and I could feel how much he wanted this, wanted me. I couldn't help the wanton moan that escaped me as I watched his tongue drag across his bottom lip. He lived to tease me.

He planted a hand back against the wall, gripping my ass with the other one, and ground his erection into me as his lips met mine, wet and needy. There was a desperation to his kiss, a begging of forgiveness, but it wasn't needed.

Tongues swirled together, and I turned my head to deepen the kiss, slipping my hands up his glorious chest, over his shoulders, and into his hair. A beautifully erotic moan rumbled through his chest as my leg pulled him closer at the same time his fingers slid from my ass forward, to where I was aching for him.

My head fell back against the wall when I broke from his mouth as he teased my folds, my entrance, and my clit. I was swollen, wet, and throbbing for his touch, his tongue, his cock. I didn't care at this point, but I needed something soon.

"Turn around, baby," he ordered, stepping away from me again. "Hands on that wall."

He tugged my hips so that I was slightly bent at the waist, before he knelt down behind me. He nudged my legs farther apart, skimming his palms up the back of my thighs and pushing my skirt up over my bottom.

"Do you understand _why_ I lose my mind, Bella?" he growled, nipping his teeth over the flesh of each of my ass cheeks. "I _so_ don't fucking share." His hands palmed my ass, spreading me open for him. "This...you...all of you, is fucking _mine_."

"Oh God," I hissed, my forehead thumping to wall, because Possessive Edward had just joined Dirty Edward, and I feared I wouldn't survive the two of them; together, they were a deadly pair.

There wasn't a side of Edward that I wasn't head over heels in love with, but some sides of his complex personality could absolutely drive me to the brink of insanity. I'd given them all labels years ago, much to my husband's amusement.

"I don't _want_ someone seeing what's mine," he continued, lightly tracing a finger from my other entrance, circling my core, and finally, brushing roughly across my clit. "I don't like someone _thinking _about what belongs to me, Isabella."

One long, languid lick followed the same path as his fingers had just traveled, and I gasped. "Edward," I grunted through gritted teeth. "Please," I urged, my back arching, searching for him.

"Is this what you wanted when you decided to tease me, love?" he asked, his voice laced with a touch of a deadly tenor.

"Yes," I admitted, because all I wanted was his attention on me, not some supposed threat or ill timed thoughts of someone that didn't matter. Me.

"Oh, love. Always. Every-fucking-thing about me is drawn to you, my beautiful girl," he crooned, circling my other entrance with the tip of his tongue. "I lose my reason, baby, when someone goes...overboard, but you always _come_ first."

I whimpered when his voice leaned on the word come. My eyes rolled back into my head when his breath pushed out against the wetness that was leaking from me, causing a shiver to wrack my frame.

He spread me wider, kissing my center in earnest, causing me to cry out as his thumbs brushed against places that had my stomach already clenching. My fingers dug into the concrete blocks in front of me and dust settled slowly to the floor as his tongue delved deep inside of me. He took his time, licking, sucking, flicking his tongue over my clit, not even bothering to stop me from grinding back against him. With one more lick from front to back, he attached his mouth to my clit, undulating his tongue over it until I shattered.

His name echoed throughout the empty gym, bouncing off of the bleachers, the high ceiling, and the small space around us. He smacked my bottom lightly a few times, before standing up slowly behind me. He grazed his fingers up my spine, finding the clasp to my bra. It was open and on the floor in the blink of an eye, and he turned me back around to face him.

"The skirt..." he started, raising a sexy ass eyebrow at me. "That stays on."

"'Kay," was my only brilliant response, because I wanted him, and I was still reeling from the mind blowing orgasm he'd just given me. I didn't even have it in me to ask about my knee high socks or my shoes.

He chuckled darkly. "Those too, baby."

There was a tilt to his head, a darkness in his eyes, and a sweet, naughty smirk gracing his handsome face. My eyes traveled down his chest, watching as every muscle twitched, down to the tenting of his pants.

"Off, Edward," I ordered, the same as he had before, and almost before I could blink, his shoes, socks and pants were gone, leaving my man complete naked in front of me. Fuck, if I didn't love the fact that he went commando, because there was something to be said for seeing him hard and ready and already leaking for me, without the barrier of underwear.

I gripped his neck, pulling myself up so that I could wrap my legs around him. He caught me effortlessly, pressing me back into the wall, and I heard the concrete give another thick sounding crack. We both cried out when his arousal slipped through my folds, hitting me where I was now overly sensitive.

"Fuck, baby," he growled, pressing his forehead to mine, our eyes locking – black to black. "Always so fucking wet for me. Will you always want me this much?"

"Yes, _forever_," I whispered, nipping at his lips when he growled in appreciation of my answer. "Baby, you need...I want..."

"I'll take care of you, my love," he vowed, grinding against me just right and slipping just inside of me. "You have my attention now..."

My arms wrapped all the way around his head, holding him to my neck as he sank into me as deep as he could go. His mouth opened against my flesh, a guttural growl rumbling between us as his teeth lightly latched onto my shoulder.

With a swivel of his hips, he pulled back, only to thrust back in, grunting, "Fuck, your pussy always feels so good..._so fucking good_."

The sound that escaped me was a cross between a laugh and a moan, because there was just something about his smooth, velvet voice uttering words only ever meant for me to hear. "More, Edward," I said, nipping my teeth against his sharp jaw as my hands left his hair to grip his back and his flexing ass. "Tell me..."

Edward pulled back from my shoulder, pressing his forehead against mine as he pushed into me over and over, hitting a spot so deep that my breathing faltered.

His mouth twitched up in almost a cocky, half-smile. "You want me to tell you that you fit around my cock like you were made for me, Bella?" he asked, gripping my ass so that he could take me deeper. "You want me to describe how tight you are? How you smell like the essence of sin and lust and all things forbidden?"

"Oh Jesus," I whimpered, nodding against his forehead, kissing that deliciously foul mouth with a frantic feeling, using teeth and tongue and lips. God, I'd missed how hearing him like this made me feel – wanted and needed and just plain sexy. I hadn't heard him speak like this since we'd moved back in with the family.

"Oh, Bella," he purred, dragging his tongue up my chin to my lips, where he left a searing kiss to my mouth. "You _are_ sexy, my beautiful girl. Come for me again. I can feel you're close..."

As if his voice was somehow connected to my center, my body obeyed him instantly. My head fell back, cracking the wall just a bit more, as I exploded again, pulling him as close as I could get him, but it never was close enough.

Edward slowed down, riding out my climax and its spasms, giving my body a chance to catch back up to reality. There was no tiring out, no weariness, and never did we have to stop. There was no sweat, no loss of breath. He could make love to me for hours, if he chose to, his stamina never faltering. He read my mind, my heart, my soul, and my body. He knew exactly what I wanted next, as he pulled me away from the wall.

He sat down on the edge of some spare bleachers that hadn't been installed yet, wrapping my legs around him. I loved holding him this way, letting him guide me with his hands on my ass. It kept us face to face, it let me see the love he had for me that out-shined everything else. It let me feel every inch of me touching him, my skin continuously touching his. And it sank me further down over him.

It let me kiss him senseless, too, a dry sob leaving me as I crashed my mouth into his. My love for him seemed suddenly overwhelming as I moved over him. His firm hands caressed my back, bringing me closer, gently feeling every muscle and every dip down my spine.

Breaking away from my mouth, Edward guided one hip, while the other bent me backwards to ravish my neck, my sternum. Looking up at me through his eyelashes, he whispered, "Say it...I need to hear it, my love."

"I love you," I panted, whimpering when his mouth met his immortal scar over my heart, the tip of his tongue tracing its edges.

"Hmm," he murmured against my nipple, giving a kiss to its tightly puckered tip, "good girl. Tell me you want me."

"I want you," I said, bring his face up to mine. "Always."

"Tell me...you're mine," he rumbled, his eyes darkening even more, if that were possible.

"You're _mine_," I teased, pushing at him until he leaned back against the bleacher behind him, his mouth hanging open in a smile he was fighting. I could almost see him thinking, _Fair enough, _as I braced my arms on either side of his head.

"Tell me I can feel you come again..._everywhere_," he stated, helping me meet the rhythm that he wanted. "And tell me you'll come with me..."

I nodded, sitting up, and he followed, bringing his hand up between our faces. He moaned when my lips, my mouth sank down over his middle finger, swirling my tongue around it. My eyes were locked with his, because I knew what he was about to do, and it never failed to send me over the edge.

He pulled his finger from my mouth, tracing my bottom lip with it, before gripping my backside again and sinking that wet middle finger into my other entrance. He captured my mouth with his, so that there wasn't an opening on my body that wasn't filled by him. It was an overwhelming, yet thoroughly filling sensation. My body stiffened in his arms, and we shattered together, his thumb pressing just right to my clit as he spilled deep within me, my mouth hanging open as my breathing completely stopped.

My fingers dug into his strong back as I quaked uncontrollably. Gripping hands turned into soothing hands, my Sweet Edward rising back to the surface just as quickly as he'd left.

"Shh, sweet girl," he purred, dropping soft kisses to my cheek as my forehead hit his shoulder and my arms hugged him tightly. "I've got you."

I nodded, slowly coming down from my high. I played with the hair at the back of his head as his hands made two different circuits – one up and down my sock covered leg to my thigh and back down, and the other up and down my back, tracing each shoulder blade and every rib.

"We should go soon, Mrs. Cullen," he said softly, dropping an open mouth kiss to my bare shoulder. "The bell will be ringing soon."

I nodded again, pulling back and cupping his oh so handsome face. I kissed his lips roughly. "We have homework, you know," I told him, smirking at his sexy chuckle.

"I'm not making any promises," he said with a grin, patting my bare bottom underneath my skirt.

"Okay," I giggled. "Can I at least have my underwear back?"

"We'll see," he laughed, kissing my lips. When he pulled back, his silly grin had fallen, taken over by sincerity. "You're right, love. It _is_ all about us...here."

I smiled, shaking my head at him. "Correct, Mr. Cullen. Yours are the only dirty thoughts I want to hear," I told him, waiting for his crooked smile and solemn nod. "Now... How badly did you want this in Forks?"

He groaned and shook his head, his forehead hitting my shoulder. "More than I'm willing to admit, and disappointed that I didn't try."

I giggled, hugging him close, because he was too cute to resist. "You'll have to tell me all about that some time, baby. But we need to get to the parking lot. Our siblings will be too curious as it is..."

"Yes, ma'am," he sighed, setting me on my feet to get dressed.

Once we were presentable and our clothes returned to their rightful place – including my underwear that he was loathe to give up – we made our way back to the doors to grab our school books. My thoughts turned amusing when I realized that Dirty Edward had indeed shown himself when the coast was clear.

Edward chuckled, kissing the side of my head. "Yeah, he missed you." He wrapped an arm around my shoulders after taking my bag from me and slinging it over his own as I laughed up at him. "Come on, my silly, beautiful girl. Let's go home."

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><p><strong>AN... Ahh, all the sides of Edward made an appearance. You guys have no idea how much I'd missed him until I actually sat down to write this. It was like slipping into a favorite pair of pajamas. :)**

**That being said... Here's the thing. I really, truly don't have a full story for Angelward. I just don't. But I really enjoyed writing this o/s, SO... I'm going to put this out there, and believe me, I'll listen. If there's something you'd like to know, see, read...let me know. If there was something that wasn't covered a previous story, tell me. I don't write slash, and rarely do I write in someone else's POV other than E&B, but all suggestions will be taken into consideration. So this will not be the last of Angelward. You can go all the way back to Broken Angel if you want. It doesn't have to be a lemon, either. Just let me know.**

**I owe some thanks for this... First to JenRar, who helped make this much smoother than it started. To GooberLou, who preread this with more excitement than I'd seen in a while. And to les16 and MedusaInNY...my "Angelward Experts." :D They preread this, as well, making sure all the bits and pieces meshed with the original series. Thank you all, ladies.**

**Review for me. How was it seeing him after this long, huh? ;) I hope you send me some good ideas, because I'd like to see them. This will post as a new story – Angel Series outtakes, technically – and I'd love to write again. Talk to me. Until next time... Later. :)**


	2. Lost and Found

**A/N...I think you guys would appreciate this on a Wednesday. ;)**

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><p><strong>This was an idea that came to me a long time ago – like Angel's Embrace long time ago – but this never fit into the story line. No matter how I tried to force it in there, it just wouldn't work. In all reality, this could've happened anytime or anyplace with our couple, but I decided to set it just after the os Angel's Kiss, so it's still Rochester, though I'm not sure it matters.**

**This is a quick glimpse of the family, but it's also the origin of Angelward's letter writing to Bella. It's also a little more than that. And unfortunately, you will have needed to read at least Broken Angel to catch the drift of this one...it's best if you've read the whole series, because some details won't make sense otherwise.**

**This rated M...and comes with a LEMON warning, not that you need a warning, but those of you – like me – who like to read at work... Well, you get it. LOL**

**Go on... I know you've missed him... I have.**

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><p>Lost and Found...an Angel Series OuttakeFuture-take.

**BELLA**

"I don't want to go," Edward muttered, looking belligerent and utterly adorable as he pouted in front of me.

"You need to go, Edward," I said softly, tracing the dark patches under his eyes as I switched to my thoughts. _It's been too long, baby. Plus, your brothers want time with you._

His nose scrunched up, but he sighed and nodded. He didn't move, though; he only stepped closer to me as I sat on the bathroom vanity. He pressed his forehead to mine, and I could almost read _his_ thoughts.

_No, I'm not coming with you,_ I thought to him with a giggle. _I promised Esme that I'd help her with the baking she's doing for the hospital. And Carlisle's expecting that shipment today, so the girls and I are going to help him put it in the attic._

"Maybe I should stay and help..."

"Edward Cullen, go hunt!" I laughed, shaking my head and grasping his handsome and amused face. _Just don't go too far, if __that's an issue__ today, and come straight back, but you need to give Jasper and Emmett some time with you._

I knew why he was hedging, and I totally couldn't blame him, but he was afraid of separating for too long. If we were apart for too long, too far, we both were in pain – our connection just wouldn't allow it – but I'd hunted the day before with the girls. Rose had needed to stop on our way back from dress shopping for the Rochester Academy prom that was coming up.

"I like the dress, sweet girl," he said, a sexy crooked grin crawling up his face as he read my mind.

"No evading," I chuckled, shaking my head. "And I know what you like. I'm not stupid."

His laugh was deep and sweet, but his eyes were still so very dark, and not because he was feeling cuddly and handsy at the moment as he stood between my legs in our bathroom. He pressed his lips to my neck, causing his breath to ghost against my skin, but he held me closer, tighter, because he absolutely abhorred the mere thought of causing me pain.

"I love you. Go hunt," I sighed, practically begging him. _Jazz and Em don't ask very often, Edward. They respect our boundaries, so give them this. Please?_

Edward really needed guy time, because we'd been inseparable since we'd moved to Rochester. We were couples at school and at home, and not anyone in the family faulted another couple for holing themselves up for days at a time – especially Edward and me, because we were just trying to get used to living with the family again. However, when it came to our connection, the family let us choose, because they would _never _want to cause us pain.

It didn't help that I'd fallen into a deep moment just a few days ago, which had pulled Edward in right along with me. Those – no matter how loving and glorious they could be – drained us just a bit, so he really needed to hunt.

"Okay," he finally conceded, frowning just a bit, "but we won't go far, and we won't be long."

"You'll know if it's too far, so you can correct it," I soothed him, not really liking the thought, but it was just something we dealt with as best we could. "But if you do, then we'll make up for it later, baby. We'll stay in here to reconnect, so go be..._a guy_. Okay?"

He nodded again, kissing my lips softly, slowly, his hands grasping at my bottom to pull me flush to him. I smiled against his mouth when something stirred between us, grinding hard against my leg, which only caused him to chuckle.

"Ignore it," he snickered, rolling his eyes. "I can't help it. You're too beautiful...and I'm going," he sighed, finally backing away from me with his hands raised in surrender.

I giggled, trying my best to hide it behind my hand, but I loved him all cuddly and sweet. I loved him all gropey and unable to stop touching me. And I adored that he didn't want to leave my side, but there were times when it was necessary.

He grinned, shaking his head at my thoughts. "Cuddly and sweet later, love," he said, giving my lips a quick kiss. "Love you."

_Maybe cuddly and sweet when you get back isn't what I want, Edward,_ I thought to him as a tease, just as he made it to the door, which he almost yanked off the hinges.

"Bella," he warned, but I could hear the smile in his deep tone, even though I hadn't moved from my perch on the vanity.

I laughed again as he bolted down the stairs, grumbling about "too beautiful for her own damn good."

~oOo~

"My poor son," Esme giggled, shaking her head when I finally made it downstairs to help her, which caused Rose and Alice to laugh. "I half expected you to throw him out the window."

"If it had come down to it," I muttered with a grin, "I just might have."

"He must've changed his mind a dozen times," Alice chortled, lining up the containers we were going to use to store the cookies in. "However, his last decision wavered so much, I thought for sure he'd stay."

I grinned, biting my lip and sighing. "God, he's so easy to tease."

Rose laughed, shooting me a wink as she pulled out the baking sheets. "That's my girl."

"But Lord, he had to go," I chuckled as I grabbed the milk and eggs out of the fridge. "I love that he wants to be with me, but he needed guy time. Seriously. He's been more worried about colors for prom and where pictures on our walls should go. I half expected him to start talking about Jimmy Choos, and if that was the case, I was calling Kevin."

That caused another round of laughter, but the mention of Kevin started a different line of talk. He'd been in Italy with his mate Adrian since his change. He was doing well, sticking to the vegetarian diet and slowly working his way out into public. We were proud of him, but he missed us like crazy, so his whole goal was to work up his tolerance of being around humans so he could join us soon.

We worked fast, talking and laughing the whole time, causing the occasional groan or chuckle from Carlisle from his study down the hall, but he left us to it. By the time we heard the moving van pull into the driveway, we had three large containers of cookies packed and ready to go.

"Carlisle, they're here," Esme called – not that she had to, but occasionally, he would lose himself to his work.

He emerged wearing a sweet smile, because he hadn't heard them. "Thank you, sweetheart," he said, kissing the side of her head. He turned to me, Rose, and Alice. "We'll just let them unload in the garage, and once they've left, we'll store the boxes in the attic."

"Okay," Alice and I chanted together.

"What is this stuff, anyway?" Rose asked, leaning against Emmett's Jeep.

"The stuff in storage at the Texas house," Carlisle answered, nodding to the delivery guys. "There was some damage after a storm a few days ago, and a water main broke. There isn't much, so I told them to bring it here."

"Gotcha," she said, eying the dozen or so boxes that were looking the worse for wear. "God, we haven't lived in that house since..."

"Nineteen forty one, I think," Esme mused, leaning next to her. "And that was for only a few months."

"Um, Texas?" I asked, looking at them like they were crazy for choosing a sunny, Southern state. "Really?" I raised an eyebrow at Carlisle, who chuckled and placed a kiss to my temple.

"Yeah, it wasn't one of our better choices, but I worked the night shift," he explained. "The rest of them tried night courses, but..."

"It sucked," Rose stated bluntly with a laugh. "But Jasper wanted to go home for a bit," she added, gesturing to a nodding Alice. "It wasn't all bad, because the house was in the middle of nowhere, so we could be normal at home, but still..."

"Ugh, water damage," Alice said, her nose wrinkling at the musty smell emanating off the stack of boxes as Carlisle signed the clipboard, tipped the drivers, and sent them on their way.

"I had a feeling that would happen," Esme sighed, shaking her head and grabbing a stack of brand new boxes. "Here, we'll just re-pack them quickly."

It was the usual items my family usually left behind – vases, artwork, old clothing, and the occasional book or record. Why they saved some of that stuff sometimes was beyond me, but I couldn't judge them. They'd lived long lives, making many memories, so a vase here or a painting there was probably nothing in the grand scheme of things. I was pretty sure that fifty years from now, Edward and I would end up saving some pretty odd things, as well. But considering I was still the newest member of the family and still getting used to moving all the time, I tended to take most of our things with each move – especially pictures and personal items.

"This box looks okay, Carlisle, but it has Edward's name on it," Alice pointed out, pushing it toward him.

I looked up as he studied the box. It was newer, not as damaged and broken down as the other boxes. And it looked like it had a shipping label on it.

"Huh, the drivers said there was a box just inside the door. Bella, sweetie, you want to take this one? Let Edward decide what to do with it?" he asked, picking it up.

"Yeah, sure," I said with a shrug, standing up from where I was kneeling on the garage floor and brushing off my jeans. I took it from him, trying to read the smeared label. "What does that say?" I asked no one in particular, but Alice took a look over my shoulder.

"Hmm, Boston...no. Um, Brazil?" she said, although it came out in the form of a question, but then she did what Alice always did – she froze, seeing a vision. "Oh, Brazil," she said, and this time, her voice came out with a slight groan to it.

I tilted my head at her. "Brazil. As in...where he was after he left me...Brazil?" I verified, but she didn't answer me. In fact, the whole garage sort of came to a halt. "What do you see about this box, Alice?"

Her nose wrinkled and her brow furrowed, but she let out a deep breath. "It's the things Edward left behind once he decided to track Victoria. It looks like the landlady sent it to the address in Texas."

"Okay," I sighed, pointing a finger at her. "You know more than that, because you're giving me history, so should I just toss this in the attic?"

She grinned, shoving my shoulder. "No, you'll look through it together later."

"No meltdowns? No guilt?" I asked, which caused Carlisle to chuckle. "Because I just don't want that for him. If that's what this thing brings, it's getting stashed away. I don't care what's in it if it hurts him."

I watched her carefully, because I knew that she'd urged Edward to come back to me every day while he was gone and to come clean about his time away. She'd forgiven him for leaving and the things that had happened in Brazil between them, but he was so guilt ridden over that period of our lives that she often made him push through explanations, like ripping off a band aid. She'd done it once before when Edward and I were staying in the Redwood Forests of California. It wasn't that he wouldn't tell me, but it was a time that we were grateful was over.

"Not that I see, Bells," she said, and she sounded truthful.

"Bella," Carlisle said calmly, giving Alice a second glance, "perhaps you should keep it out for him. There's not anything he wouldn't share with you, because I'd be willing to bet he didn't know it was sent there."

My eyes narrowed on the man I loved just as much as my own father, but I knew him well enough to know that he saw everything as an opportunity for therapy and growth when it came to mine and Edward's time apart. He'd helped us from the moment Edward returned to me.

"Fine," I groaned, setting it down by the door. "I'll take it up when we're done."

Alice and I took the attic, while the rest of them handed us the newly packed boxes. We labeled them, stacked them, and arranged them as best we could toward the back and out of the way of things we used more frequently – like blankets, Christmas decorations, and winter clothes, not to mention Emmett's endless sports equipment.

When we were done and the attic ladder was folded up and back in its place in the ceiling, I grabbed the small box by the door, telling the rest of them that I needed a shower after all that mold, dust, and mildew.

I set the box on the end of the bed, eying it warily. Frowning, I shook my head and let out a deep breath I didn't really need, because by now, my curiosity was getting the best of me. Recalling his conversation with me in California was as easy as playing a DVD in my memory. He'd been distraught, practically starving himself with the loss of me, but it had been more than that. It had been a fight with Alice and Carlisle over hunting, because he'd go weeks on end without moving. It had been the the pain deep in his chest that we now knew was our connection, after it was stretched too far, too long. And it had been _how_ he'd left me, with lies and deceit, with a harshness that he regretted to the depths of his soul. Edward had long been forgiven, those old wounds healing, but there was still a part of me that wanted to just..._know_ what he'd left behind.

"Nosy much, Bella?" I groaned to myself with an eye roll, backing away from the bed and leaving the box alone as I walked into the bathroom.

As the water poured over me, imagination took the lead from curiosity, racing neck and neck through my mind, which was a bad combination when it came to Edward. Was it clothes? Was it pictures of me? Was it a journal I'd never read? Was it music?

I reasoned, rationalized, and coerced myself into only taking a peek inside. Edward had never cared what of his old possessions that I snooped through, because he loved that I just wanted to know _more_. Always more when it came to him. More history, more stories, more...just everything. Once I was in clean clothes, my hair brushed out, I plopped down next to the box, giving it a glare.

"Screw it," I huffed, tugging the tape off and cracking it open, but I stilled when I glimpsed inside. "Oh, Edward," I sighed and groaned at the same time, feeling the venomous sting of tears I couldn't shed, because he was a collector of all things...well, me.

Inside the box was a random collection of just...stuff. There was a t-shirt of his folded neatly on top, and I couldn't help but bring it up to my nose. Despite the length of time, the box had successfully kept his beautiful scent contained, so the delicious aroma of honey and sunshine filled my lungs, which settled my heart just a bit in his absence. I set it in my lap, rummaging around in the box for more.

Underneath the shirt was an old blue folder of mine from Forks High, something I'd thrown away because the paper binding had worn out, but his name, my name, and scores of endless heart doodles covered the thing. Next was his old cell phone – the one he'd had before he left – but it was shattered and broken, like he'd gripped it too hard. Along the side were things I could barely remember going missing from my old room at Charlie's – a hair tie, a pen that I'd chewed the cap, an almost empty bottle of my strawberry shampoo, and a post-it note with "I love you" written on it, the latter of which he'd stuck in my truck one sunny day when he couldn't be at school with me. I'd used it as a bookmark for months, but had forgotten all about it. The absence of the note was insignificant in comparison to the absence of its author, so I hadn't even thought to look for it back then.

Tucked away in the corner of the box was a tattered piece of cloth. I pulled it out, my breath hitching, because the threadbare, barely there material _used_ to be my pillowcase, and one had gone missing from the set ages ago. It was shredded and worn away, like Edward had constantly touched it. The purple color was faded, and it barely maintained its shape, much less the flowers that used to be on it. I didn't even need to ask him, because clearly, he'd taken something with my scent on it.

But it was at the very bottom that made my breath catch. _Isabella Swan_ was written on three envelopes in Edward's perfect script. They were addressed to Charlie's house, stamped, and completely sealed, but he'd obviously never sent them. There was no return address on them, of course, but I pulled them out, setting the box aside.

I could tell which one was the first he'd written, because the postage was less money than the other two. Unable to resist anything he'd ever written to me, I opened it.

_My beautiful Isabella,_

_I know I promised you'd never hear from me, but I had to tell you the truth. The whys, however, do not overshadow the hows of what I did. If I had a soul, it would be black and withered with the lies and vitriol that I spewed at you. With every false proclamation, every mendacious statement I dropped in front of you before I left, a piece of my sanity fell to the forest floor at your precious feet, begging instantly for forgiveness. Never have I been more the monster than I was when I walked away as you cried out for me. Never!_

_My disgusting reaction with Jasper's mistake replays over and over in my mind. I should have prepared for it, should have seen the thirst in his __mind – only... my__ sole concern was your happiness. One single lapse in __judgment, and__ my whole world is turned upside down by a single piece of paper, shattered, right along with the vase that cut you that much more._

_I miss you with an ache that consumes me, and it's only been two days since I ran like the coward I am. I did not want to leave you, my sweet, sweet girl. I will forever want you, my Bella. Forever do I need you, but my world is too dangerous, too full of uncertain darkness. I will not allow my world to taint you, to ruin the sweet perfection you are to me._

_Your life, your soul, your future mean more to me than you could ever know. I'm unable to give you a that...a real life or future. With me, you'd never know family or children. You'd be trapped in dark __nights, rarely seeing the sun. And the mere thought – no matter how much I want it – of taking away your options, your humanity, your _soul_, makes me the most selfish of creatures. I love you too much to let my presence in your life destroy you. I can't. I won't, Bella. You deserve all that life, true life, has to offer._

_I love you enough to step away so that you can experience these things. I love you with a fierceness that I can barely grasp, and if you truly knew its depths, it would scare you, I think. I would hand you the world, and this is the only way I know how to do it. To give you that, I had to walk away from the one thing that made my own existence infinitely better. You were always good enough – too good, really. It's me, my love...I never deserved you._

_I'm sorry that I lied. I'm sorry that what I am makes us impossible. And I'm sorry for how I left you. In retrospect, perhaps I should have done things differently, but you'll never know what your cries, your denial, and then your instant acceptance of my untruths did to me. To think that you believed me so easily..._

_I'm begging that you keep your promise to me, Bella. Begging. Please take care of yourself. Nothing foolish, nothing dangerous. Your place on this __Earth__ is so important, so __crucial, that__ I'm convinced the sun wouldn't shine without your heartbeat._

_You will forget me, and it will be for the best, my beautiful girl, but always know that you were never, ever a distraction. You are everything._

_Always, _

_Edward_

I groaned, my head falling back, because I could hear the contradiction with every word he wrote. He wasn't good enough, but I was still _his _sweet girl, _his_ love, _his_ Bella. He'd wanted me, wanted my change, wanted everything, but he'd denied himself his own happiness in order to make sure I lived on without him, because he'd never thought he deserved it.

Nothing about his leaving bothered me anymore, except his needless guilt over it. He'd left to protect me, to keep me safe, if only from himself. We'd worked through it, healed even, but our past did sometimes show up as a reminder, something that I think kept us grateful that we had each other forever, that we were blissfully happy.

Suddenly, I just really wanted him home, but I picked up the next letter on top, not knowing if it was in order or not and opening it to see that it was dated six months later than the first. I frowned at the script, because it seemed rushed, almost angry, starting only with my name, not the usual sweet endearments.

_Bella,_

_You promised me nothing foolish. You swore to me that you would take care of yourself, at least for Charlie's sake. Cliff jumping? What were you thinking? You could've gotten yourself killed._

_I realize that I have no right, no justification in admonishing you, but you have no idea what tidal wave of events would occur if you suddenly didn't exist. And I'm not __ignorant, by__ any means, Bella, so I know that you owe me nothing, but I was hoping that you would at least stand by that particular promise._

_I'm not watching you, I swear. I'm trying my damnedest to leave you alone, which is nearly impossible with my own family working against me. I asked them to not bother you, to let you forget us in peace, but it seems you've left your own permanent mark on them, as well as myself. I wouldn't have known about the __jump if__ it weren't for my sister. Christ, Bella, it looked like you'd given up, and I just had to prove to her that she was wrong, that her vision was false. That it would never happen._

_Alice's vision aside, nothing could prepare me for what I actually did see when I arrived. You in the arms of another._

_What do I do? How do I accept it, when it was my idea to begin with? I wanted you to move on, to live your life, but the sight wounded me to my __very core. It__ ripped my still heart out of my chest and shattered it as he touched you, carried you. I was wrong. I'm not sure I can just stand by and watch you, knowing that you're with someone else._

_I so want you, love. God, I never stopped. It's so very selfish of me and wrong on all levels, but just the small glimpse of you made me realize my love for you has only grown that much bigger. And seeing you with him..._

_I thought maybe one last jump through your window would allow me solace, comfort that you were happy...or maybe I was hoping for my name to slip from your sweet lips. Maybe I just wanted a reason – one single reason – to wake you, see you, beg you to let me back into your life in whatever capacity you'd allow. Just being near you again as you slept, just breathing in your sweet scent, despite the raging burn in my throat, caused the ache, the cracked open feeling in my chest to not only lessen, but to stop altogether. I found peace by your side, if only for the few hours that I watched you sleep._

_But it was not my name on your lips that you whispered; it was his. I fell to my knees at your bedside, everything in me wanting to wake you, beg you, kiss you. Oh God, how I wanted to just kiss you! I wanted to prove that I was better than he was, that no one would ever hold your favor like I had, but I'd promised you that I wouldn't do that. I vowed that you wouldn't see me again._

_However, I made you another promise as you slept peacefully. I swore to you that I would watch over you, waiting in the wings for the boy to make his first mistake. He can't love you forever, my Bella, because he's young. I will. I will love you until the end of time, until you breathe your last breath, and then I'll take my chances and follow you. I swear it._

_If he's who you want, though, I will stand aside, and I'll give you that shot at a life, a family, because the boy can give you things I'm unable. And you deserve them all._

_While you love another, always know that my heart – still and cold as it is – belongs to you. That will never change._

_Always,_

_Edward_

I rubbed my face, letting out a deep breath and shaking my head. It seemed Edward had found an outlet while he was away from me, and he'd never mentioned it. This letter's information wasn't new; he'd told me these very things before, but the anguish that came through his script was almost painful. He'd been angry – at me for doing something reckless, at himself for his weaknesses, at Jake for simply existing – but Edward was nothing if not loyal to his promise to me. He'd still stayed away, because seeing me with Jake had broken something in him; he'd thought I'd done exactly what he'd asked of me – moved on.

Taking a deep breath and steeling myself, I glanced down at the last letter. I was unsure now whether I wanted to see this next one, because there was no telling what it contained, what point in time it was written. I slipped my finger under the flap, ripping it cleanly open. My heart sank when I realized it was dated almost a year to the day that he'd left me in the woods just outside Charlie's front door.

Scanning down the pages, I shook my head. The writing seemed disjointed and scrambled, and it looked like he'd stopped and gone back to add to it more than one time, because there were different types of ink on the paper. As I began to read it, I realized that my Edward was losing it; he was not in his right mind at this point.

"Oh, sweetheart," I sighed, finally sinking into his words.

_My sweet Bella,_

_You haunt me. You appear and disappear so rapidly that I wonder if you're not immortal. There's no scent to you – no freesia, no strawberries, no sweet, sweet blood – so I know you can't be real. If you were real, you wouldn't smile at me so sweetly, you wouldn't tease me with your milky skin that I can't reach out and touch, and you wouldn't look at me like you still loved me. After all I've done, all my __lies and__ the __way I__ left you...I'm damned sure your forgiveness doesn't exist. You must hate me...or even worse, you've forgotten me. I honestly don't know which would be worse._

_It's a razor's edge to see you. You're so beautiful, taunting me, teasing me. But you're a blatant reminder of all that I can't have. Things I don't deserve. The pain lessens with these visions of you, only to return that much more excruciating when you evaporate. If I don't hunt, then you appear, and you stay, and you still love me._

_So I haven't hunted in two months._

_Nor have I left this room._

_God, I just want you. I want you in ways that shame me as a gentleman. I want you in ways that make my breath catch, because I never thought I'd have the courage to admit it to you. The draw of your blood is nothing compared to the draw of your body, my love. Nothing. I can say it now... I want to know how you feel, really feel. I know you're soft, but do you feel like silk? Would your skin prickle with my cool touch? I want to see your face when you reach the highest peaks of desire. Would your beautiful deep eyes roll back? Would your mouth gape, a breath caught in your throat? I want to know what it feels like to be one with you, to be completely pulled in by you. Would the heat, the wetness consume me? Would it feel like the ultimate in completion? I want to know the sounds you __make. Oh, God, my name! What I wouldn't give to hear my name from your sweet lips as I moved inside of you! I'm obsessed with the idea of what you'd look like utterly bare and underneath me – all smooth, warm, molding perfectly against me. My imagination can't possibly come close to the real thing, I'm sure of it. I want to thread my fingers into your silky __hair while__ whispering how beautiful you are, how perfect I know you must feel, and how much I love you against that sweet skin along your throat. I want to tell you that you're everything, that you're all I need, and that I'm so damn sorry. I want to whisper that I need __you and__ that I'd follow you to the ends of the __Earth__ if only I could just..._touch you_._

_I want you in ways I have no business wanting you, but I can't stop. I can't help myself. I only writhe in the agony that I'll never know those things, because only you – in a hundred years of existing – have opened up that side of me. Very rarely __does__ our kind change, but I have, and I can't stop thinking about you in every way._

_If one good thing came from seeing the ghost of __you, it's__ the knowledge that the man inside of me still exists __alongside__ the monster, that not only does my heart belong to you, but my body __does, as__ well._

_Oh, how I miss your heartbeat, your smile, your __laugh – especially__ your laugh. I wish I'd heard that one more time __before I left__. Instead, your cries, your tears, your shattered heart...they follow me. They echo, they replay in perfect, utter clarity over and over, until I think I'll go mad with the sound, the memory._

_I want to rage. I want to fight for you, but it seems justifiable that I suffer. I deserve the pain, because I love you too much to steal your life. I've stolen too much from you already._

_Why won't you leave me alone? Why do you torment me so? I thought this life was torture before __you; now, it's__ utter hell without you. There's nothing worthy of anything without you, because the apparition of you seems cruel, not the sweet girl I first fell in love with. She seems to revel in teasing me with skin, with breasts, with sensual smiles. She crawls up my __body, only__ to vanish when I try and touch._

_I can't do this. I can't see you like this anymore. I have to stop the suffering, and that means hunting. You'll go away, and so will the memory of these visions of you, most likely, but at least you'll stop haunting me. It hurts to see you, my sweet girl. It makes me cry for you, wishing I could shed real tears, if only for the release it would bring._

_Does that make me weak? I'm not sure, but I'm not sure of anything anymore._

_Do you still love another? And why does that thought make me almost feral with hatred and betrayal? It's what I wanted for you, damn it, but it breaks me to think you're in another's arms. You're supposed to be mine...my Bella. Not the apparition, not the memory, but the beautiful, sweet girl that told me she loved me once._

_It's time to move, time to focus. If I can't have you, then at least I can still protect you, keep you guarded from the darker side of my world. The red-headed one...she's still out there, she still hunts, but she won't for much longer. Perhaps if she no longer walks this __Earth, you'll__ be safe, and I'll have earned that brief glimpse of __Heaven__ I once had with you._

_You turned nineteen this week, my love. I'm sorry I missed it. Happy Birthday. May every wish from every candle that you've ever blown out come true._

_Always,_

_Edward_

I gasped, my hand flying to my mouth at how wrecked Edward had been, how devastated he sounded. He sounded so...broken. I'd told him that I'd seen apparitions of him while he was away, but he'd said he wished he'd been able to see me. Was he so crazed with thirst that the first hunt after two months of starvation had caused this memory to disappear just like he'd written?

Carlisle had explained to me once that when he'd first been changed, he'd fought what he truly was. He didn't hunt, didn't kill humans, trying to starve himself. He said that he barely remembered seeing things, things that weren't real, but that once he'd finally taken that first sip of animal blood, his head had cleared.

I folded the last letter back up, slipping it back into its envelope. There was a part of me that wondered how I'd have reacted had these shown up in my mailbox at Charlie's. Would I have held on to the hope of his return? Would I have had the courage to let Jake go, especially considering how things changed about the time the second letter would've arrived? I wasn't sure of the answer, but I did wish I'd have known about them. They explained a little more, because despite his honesty, Edward still protected me, even if it was from the harsh reality of what we'd both gone through while we were apart.

Honey and sunshine hit my nose and heart hard, and I looked up at the doorway when the pure source of my favorite scent filled the room.

Edward stood there, golden eyed and beautiful...and worried. "I thought they were gone...that's why I never mentioned them." His voice was subdued, meek, as he looked at me, and then the box, and finally, the letters.

I shook my head, patting the bed next to me. "No, just sent to this Texas house."

"Oh," he said, pushing away from the door. "That may have been the identification I used in Brazil. The old woman would have had it on file... I can't be sure about much back then..." His voice trailed off as he peered inside the box, before sitting next to me.

"I'm sorry I opened it..."

He held his hand up to stop my apology, taking the opened letters from me, only to hand them right back. "What's mine is yours, love. You know that," he murmured, poking around in the box and pulling out his old cell phone. I tilted my head at him, questioning him silently. "Crushed it...in my hand...the very second I saw you with Jake."

I nodded, having almost come to that conclusion myself. I stacked the last letter with the others and looked up at Edward's sweet face as he continued to concentrate on the contents of the box.

"That's not the last one," he said softly, finally meeting my gaze. "There's one more."

He got up, left our room, only to reappear just as quickly, another envelope in his hand. He handed it over silently, and I gazed up at him.

"Why wasn't this one with the others?" I asked him, thinking he was upset with me, because he was so damn quiet.

He was shaking his head before I even finished the thought. "I'm not upset, love. I really did think those were gone. I thought she would have just thrown my things away once I left Brazil, because I went for a hunt and just never came back," he explained, picking up the letter I'd read last. His beautiful eyes scanned the text, and he groaned, shaking his head. "I don't even remember this one," he sighed, locking gazes at me. "I was..."

"Starving," I finished for him. "And apparently, the ghost of me was pretty mean."

He grinned at my teasing. "I guess so. It's not a period I can clearly bring back. Mean or not, I kind of wish I could remember it."

"Well, at least your apparition was helpful," I said lightly. "I must apologize for mine."

He needed to know that I wasn't upset, that this didn't bother me, because we'd both suffered. I was just really happy we had each other now. His brow smoothed as he heard my mind, and he nodded almost imperceptibly. He stepped to the edge of the bed, one hand tucking my hair behind my ear, the other tapping the newest letter in my hands.

"And this one..." He sighed, shaking his head and smiling slightly. "This one wasn't needed, but I wrote it as a precaution. And you really would've gotten this one."

His sweet, crooked smile was contagious, and I giggled softly up at him as I took the fourth letter from him.

"Sit and explain that silly grin you're sporting, baby," I snickered, patting the bed again, "and then I'll read it. So just where was this one?"

He laughed, settling behind me against the headboard and pulling my back to his chest. He smelled of black bear and deer, but he smelled like sweet grasses and fresh water, too. Warm, strong arms wrapped around my torso as he set his chin on my shoulder, quiet for a moment. I nuzzled his jaw to temper my impatience, and he smiled again, placing a kiss to the top of my shoulder, and then my neck.

"After I stopped Victoria right in front of you, after I dropped you at home," he started, wincing at the memory, "I wrote that one." He turned to look at me, and God, he was so sweetly and surprisingly happy at this memory. He grinned, kissing my cheek. "I am happy, because I wasn't sure that you'd call me. I'd given you my number, gone to hunt, and while I waited – _painfully waited_ – I went back to the Forks house and wrote this in Carlisle's study." He chuckled, shaking his head slowly. "Just as I tucked it into an envelope, my phone rang."

I giggled, leaning into his loud kiss to my neck.

"So I stowed it in one of his books," he said with a shrug, "and was at your window in minutes."

"And the rest is history," I chuckled, eying the envelope, and then his handsome face.

"So they say," he laughed, hugging me closer.

"Are you okay with me reading it?" I asked, because by now, I was curious about that simple, sweet smile that this envelope had caused to crawl up my husband's face.

"It's nothing you don't know about by now, my sweet girl," he chuckled. "And it's not much different than the notes I write you now."

"Oh, I love those," I giggled, ripping open the envelope as he laughed at me, but lips smiled against my neck, and then my cheek.

_Oh my sweet angel,_

_You are the most beautiful thing I've ever seen, and such a wonderful sight for sore eyes. Despite the circumstances, I can't regret stumbling back into your life again. I know there is so much left to say between us, and I __know there__ is a __possibility I__ won't get the phone call I'm so desperately waiting for, but there are some things you should know, my love._

_You are my mate. I don't think I could accept that fact before, Bella, but now I can. It doesn't matter that you're human, that we're so very different. It just is. You are the one thing I've been searching for, waiting for, had completely given up on my entire existence. I didn't accept it, because I just never thought it would happen to me._

_I honestly thought I was doing the right thing, that you were young and that my presence was wrong for you, but I see now that I was a fool. I wanted to protect you, even if only from myself, but I'm so very sorry for the __way I__ did it. And I could still very well hurt you, sweet girl, but I swear on my life that I will do my very best not to. That is, if you'll let me even try._

_Bella, I'll take any part of your life that you'll allow me to have, but I can't leave you again. It would __be like severing a limb for me now. I should've never left in the first place, but now that I'm back – and I _am_ back – I can't separate from you again. I've explained to you before that our kind do not change very often, but when they __do, it's__ a shift in __personality. It's__permanent, almost__ set in stone._

_And I'm not the same man that left you, my love._

_I am yours to command. There's nothing about me that I own anymore. It all belongs to you, and I'm laying it at your precious feet to do with as you please._

_Beautiful girl, I want it all with you. I want love, laughter, and the friendship I missed so much. I want to hold you while you sleep, I want to beg for forgiveness, and earn back your trust, because I see that you don't trust me. And that's okay, because I deserve your wariness. I ruined something that was more precious, more priceless than all the money in the world, so I need to work to earn that trust back. I know the road ahead will not be easy, and I'm prepared to traverse it no matter what._

_Oh, and__ to kiss you! God, how I missed your lips against mine. But I want to really kiss you, to lose myself in the taste of you that has nothing to do with your blood. I want to feel you against me, hold you close, and revel in the flavor of us. I want to hear that sweet whimper that you make as soon as my __lips touch yours, and I swear before God and all that's holy, I won't pull away. Not this time. Not ever again. I'll never pull away again, Bella. I promise._

_I'm not afraid to say this, my love... I want you. I've always wanted you, but __now, I__ want you in so many ways that it scares me, and I can't deny it anymore. I can't fight the draw, the pull to my mate, my _soul_mate. I just can't. I want to feel you wrapped around me, connected to me, moving against me. I'm desperate to feel your skin against mine – no barriers, no clothes, no fears. I __want to finally__ know what it's like to truly love you, because I'm willing to bet __all I__ have that it's as close to __Heaven__ as one man could get._

_I'm willing to surrender it all over to you, and that includes my body, love. You're every fantasy I've ever had, and I'm pretty sure the reality is far better – your fiery touch against my skin, my cool lips against your throat, tangled legs, gripping hands. To taste your sweat, your arousal, to touch you everywhere, to make your body sing with my hands... Christ, Bella, I want it all. I'm dying to know what your breasts feel like in my hands, against my mouth, pressed against my bare chest – what your nipples taste like. I want to play your beautiful body, learn it, tease it, making you come over and over, calling my name. I want to memorize every glorious sound you make, every sweet scent each part of your body emanates, and every sensual look that changes over your stunning face as I move inside of you._

_I need it, and I feel I'll go mad with the want of it. Seeing you again, feeling that spark, that _thing_ between us that's still there only makes me want you more. Do you feel it, too?_

_Maybe it's crass to tell you these things, maybe marriage should come first, but I'm not sure of anything other than how I feel about you. I'm incapable of seeing past that. It's like you're at the end of a very long tunnel that I can't escape, and you're the only hope for survival. Honesty is all I have for you now. I can't lie to you. I won't do it again. Anything you ask of me, I'll answer._

_I want my forever with you – however we define that term. All I know is I need to be at your side from this moment on. I know at one __point, you__ wanted to be like me, and I still cringe at the thought, but not __for the reasons__ you may think. It's the pain, the taking away of your options, it's the dark and lonely __and endless nights. These things plagued me about my own life, so to put you through that would cause me agony. I'm still conflicted concerning this, because you're perfect and beautiful just the way you are, and to damage that, to cause you pain – it would end me, Bella._

_Above all else, even though I know I've hurt you, I ache to hear you echo back my I love you again. I don't want to see you cry anymore. It wrecks me to see the tears in your beautiful brown eyes, to hear your sweet heart breaking. I want to be the one that makes you smile, that shows you the __world and__ gives you whatever it is that pops into that glorious head of yours. Me. I want to be that man. I want to be your best friend, your hero, and your lover. I'd wish for husband, but I'm pushing my limits, I'm sure. I must let go of some old ideas._

_I __know there__ are changes that have occurred in your life since I've been gone, and there are things you have to deal with. I'm not such a fool as to think there isn't more to you and this...Jake than you're telling me, but I'm willing to fight for you. I'm willing to grovel at Charlie's feet in order to be with you. And I'll do it all, once you tell me._

_When you're ready for __me, call__ me. I won't run. I won't disappear again. I swear it. Take as long as you need, but the ball is in your court, as they say. Like I said, I know there's much for us to still talk __about, but all you have to do is ask. The answers, my heart, and my love are yours._

_Always,_

_Edward_

~oOo~

**EDWARD**

My arms wrapped tightly around my kill, wrenching his body to the ground, and my teeth were at his neck instantly. The bear hadn't even heard me approach; he'd been too busy, too absorbed in the fish he'd just caught. I'd allowed him his final meal, if only to let the mother and her cub walk away from him.

"Damn it," Emmett groaned, rolling his eyes. "He was mine, jackass!"

I grinned, standing up after sating my thirst. "Obviously not."

"You did that shit on purpose, Eddie," he complained, stomping off to find another meal, his mind well aware that he couldn't touch the mother and her cub – it was a fierce rule Carlisle had instilled in us.

I chuckled, hiding the remains, only to see Jasper smirking as he leaned against a pine.

"You totally did that shit on purpose," he chuckled.

"Yeah, I did," I laughed.

"Well, that right there was worth you joining us," he snickered, slapping my shoulder. "Though he'll bitch the whole way home."

I nodded and chuckled in agreement, but soon, we found a few grazing deer. I took two down, almost over-hunting, because Bella had been right. I'd needed to go. It not only had been too long, but the moments we'd fallen into a few days prior had drained us both even further. We'd had to remove ourselves from the family home because it was so intense.

A wicked smile curled the corners of my mouth at the memory of shattered headboards, crushed plaster walls, and how my name sounded when Bella cried it out into a hotel room not far from school. I found a fallen log to sit down next to a small stream that wound around, gurgling in front of me as I waited for my brothers.

"Whoa," Jasper laughed, shaking his head. "Settle down, Ed. That's a lot of lust, bro."

"Sorry," I chuckled, rubbing my face to shake the sweet, carnal memories from my mind in order to save my poor brother.

"We okay?" he verified, raising an eyebrow at me. _Not too far, right?_

I smiled, shaking my head. "No, we're fine. We're not too far, but I can't..." I paused, trying to pick up Bella's thoughts, finding myself only able to catch glimpses. "She's most likely shielding me."

"Oh, the girl talk," he chuckled. "That's why."

Jasper and I both felt and heard our brother coming up behind us, although neither of us let on. I smirked, bracing myself, because Emmett was not as stealthy mentally as he was physically. Suddenly, I found myself tackled onto the bank of the small creek and in a full-on wrestling match. I allowed him the tackle, but nothing more, pinning him repeatedly with his head in the water.

"Damn it," he laughed, shoving me off of him. "You cheat, just like Bella."

"I'm pretty sure Bella can kick your ass without cheating," Jasper laughed from his perch on the log. "You're just pissed Eddie caught your bear."

The mention of Bella made me automatically reach out to hear her mind. I knew we were within the ten mile limit of our connection, because there wasn't any pain in my chest. I couldn't hear much from my sisters or mother, but Carlisle and Bella were the strongest minds for me. Flashes and brief discussions of boxes and what to do with them were the only thing I could catch.

"Well, that shipment got here," I muttered.

"Ah, the Texas stuff. A shame, really," Jasper noted with a shrug. "I liked that house."

"Yeah, but we were only there for a few months," Emmett countered, shaking his head like a wet dog and shoving me when he took a seat beside me. "Jackass. Rosie's gonna be pissed that another shirt is ruined."

"Well, perhaps you shouldn't wear your school clothes when you go hunting, when you know I'll win," I stated, waving him off.

"Aw, hell, don't sweat it," Jasper laughed. "It merely gives Alice a purpose for shopping."

We all chuckled at that. And suddenly, Bella's sweet mind was so clear, I couldn't help that my breath caught. She wanted me home. I froze, trying hear what had made her mind sound so sad, so needful of my presence.

"Ed?" Jasper asked, feeling whatever emotion I must've been giving off.

I shook my head, tilting it, because familiar words drifted from Bella's thoughts. Words that I had written so long ago.

"No," I gasped, my mouth hanging open.

Letters. Three of them. I'd forgotten they even existed. Hell, I'd been pretty sure that all my things from Brazil were gone, because I'd never gone back to claim them, nor had I told the little old landlady that I was leaving. I'd just assumed she would have thrown them away once she needed to rent the room again.

I groaned, my hands fisting my hair, because I had written them, but never sent them. "Damn," I sighed, locking eyes with Jasper.

"You need to go," he stated, his brow furrowing just a bit. "What happened?"

"Come on," Emmett stated. "Talk while we run."

As we ran, I told my brothers that I'd written three letters to Bella after I'd left her. The first was an explanation as to why I'd left her, the second was written in anger, and the third... Hell, I didn't remember even writing the third one.

"Why didn't you send them?" Emmett asked, stopping us just outside hearing distance from the house.

"I couldn't," I sighed, shaking my head. "I'd promised her I'd leave her alone, but writing to her..."

"Helped," he finished for me, and I nodded. He smiled, a touch sad, I noted. "The baby girl is tough, Ed. You guys have moved past this shit. I bet she doesn't even get upset."

"She's not upset," Jasper stated, gazing toward the house. "At all. I feel pity, though," he chuckled.

She was reading the third letter by this point, her mind as clear as if I was in the same room with her. However, Jasper was right; it wasn't sadness, because she knew our connection had made us fail, that we'd both been hurting.

"Go on," Emmett urged, pushing me a little. "We'll clear out the house for you."

I nodded, shoving my hands into my jean pockets. Emmett slung a heavy arm around my shoulders.

"Bro, you did the best with what you knew," he said simply. "She was human, and we weren't. There's not exactly a _Vampire Mating For Dummies_ book out there."

I laughed, and Jasper joined me. Sometimes, Emmett had a way of truly simplifying things. He took away all the unneeded worry, narrowing it down to the exact bulls-eye of the issue.

"And we were all dummies when it came to you two," Jasper chuckled. "Go, Ed. She's fine. Probably more devastated at how bad off you were."

I rolled my eyes, because he was spot on with that. We ran into the house, and I didn't even stop, hitting the stairs as my brothers encouraged our family to leave us for a while. Alice had already warned them, it seemed, because they all left immediately.

I leaned in the doorway, and Bella's mind circled around what she might've thought had I actually sent those letters, how it might've given her hope, and why I'd never mentioned them.

I walked to the box and peered inside, shaking my head at the few belongings the little Brazilian woman had packed up. I explained to Bella that I was sure the items had been lost, or I would've told her about them.

But that time, that point in my agony had been hard. I barely remembered what identification I'd used, much less where I was. I'd been wrecked with pain and starvation and the memory of Bella just eating away at me, not to mention the guilt of all I'd done.

Bella was just beautiful as she waited patiently for me. Her mind noted sadly that she'd read the last letter as she stacked them neatly and set them aside. But above all else, my beautiful girl was not upset. She was understanding and open for all I'd said in letters I'd never sent her.

"That's not the last one. There's one more," I told her, knowing exactly where I'd hidden it the day I'd penned it.

I bolted down the stairs to Carlisle's study and scanned the bookshelf, tugging out the huge volume of a medical journal from the late eighteen hundreds. He'd left it in his office of the Forks house, along with a handful of others, but the last move from there, he'd taken them all. For some reason, I'd never thought to retrieve the letter, so it had stayed there, perfectly hidden.

This letter was different, and apparently, it showed all over my face. I'd written it, thinking Bella would never call me, that she was too hurt, too mad, and had moved on. The fourth letter was laying my heart, soul, and my apology at her feet, with the hopes that she'd eventually let me explain. I didn't hold back, and I told her everything that I felt about her – something that I'd never done before that point in our relationship. I was a ruined man, because she owned me, and I didn't want it any other way.

My girl was a giggly, sweet thing as she teased me, making me sit down and wrap myself around her. She loved anything I wrote to her, and it showed as she opened the last letter with the most beautiful of smiles on her face.

Her mind was open and honest, happy and sweet as she read that last letter. Though, one thought flickered through her mind. _Now, this one would've been helpful_.

I chuckled, kissing her cheek, and she set the letter aside, turning around to face me. She straddled my lap and cupped my face, her sweet brown eyes locking with mine.

"Perhaps I should've given that one to you anyway," I stated softly, leaning my head back to the headboard as I swept her hair from her shoulders.

"Perhaps," she said with a sweet smirk, tilting her gorgeous head at me. "It would have been good to know that we were on the same page when you came back."

I nodded and pulled her closer, feeling slightly admonished, but she hadn't meant it that way. She was merely making a statement, because in her mind, we were just fine, that we'd discovered each other just fine.

"You were awfully explicit, Mr. Cullen," she teased, picking up the stack of letters and biting that delicious bottom lip of hers.

I smirked, shrugging one shoulder. "I felt wrong about writing those things then, but..."

She smiled, leaning in to kiss my lips. "Yes, I'm sure you did, my old-fashioned man," she giggled, but sat up straight to trace a finger down my face. "I saw where you changed, you know."

My gaze left her mouth and snapped to her eyes.

"I mean, I saw our connection in there, too – which would explain some of your...more _needy_ statements – but I saw where you stopped trying to fight it," she said, holding up the first letter. "You were...well, your old self in the first one. Still in charge, still going to stay away, all for my safety. It's in the second one that you started to see the change in you," she sighed, holding up the next letter. "You were angry, because nothing had changed, yet..._everything_ had changed."

I winced, but nodded. "I suppose. Jealousy was a powerful factor in that letter, Bella."

"Yes, it was." The statement was simple, but not mean. "But the change happened in the third letter..."

"Sweet girl, I barely remember writing that one," I groaned, frowning down at the crazy-filled pages.

"Hush," she chided softly, kissing the wrinkle between my brow. "We were both insane without each other, and that's not my point. My point is at the end. Where you finally decided to do something about it. There's the change, Edward. You yourself told me that once you decided to track Victoria, you unconsciously started making your way back to me."

"I did."

"Well? There's nothing wrong with any of these letters, baby. You didn't do anything wrong by writing them, nor by not sending them. I'm not so sure I could've handled receiving them, actually."

"Really?" I gasped, looking up at her.

"Hell, no, Edward," she chuckled, shaking her head. "I would have lost it with the first one. It only reiterated what you'd said in the woods, and it didn't change that you weren't there, despite the fact that you'd lied as to _why_ you'd left. And knowing that you came into my room six months later? Are you kidding me?"

I laughed, wrapping my arms all the way around her and letting my forehead fall to her shoulder. "Sorry..."

Suddenly, I was overjoyed that we could now laugh about the hardest time we'd ever been through. It had taken a long time to get to this point. Many long talks, a fair amount of arguing, and more than our share of counseling with Carlisle had taught us that we couldn't change anything, but that we could only let it go.

"But I hate that you were starving over me," she said softly, almost in a whisper, as her fingers ran gently through my hair.

"You mean...like jumping off of cliffs for me, sweet girl?" I asked wryly, raising one eyebrow at her.

She grinned, and then burst into an adorable giggle. "Yeah, something like that."

She pushed back a bit, picking up the fourth and last letter again and flipping through it. I couldn't help but press my lips to her forehead, because she was just adorable as she studied the pages.

She smiled softly, whispering, "I do like this part about kissing me, though."

I chuckled at her mischievous-filled eyes and smirk, but tilted my head when her thoughts were suddenly gone from my mind. "Do you now?"

"Mmhm," she hummed, nodding slowly. "Maybe this is the decision Alice saw that told her you were ready to be with me."

"Perhaps," I chuckled, trying to pull her closer, but she was sneaking slowly off of my lap.

"But the rest of these things," she sighed, tsking at me dramatically. "My, my, Mr. Cullen. Whatever do you mean by...wrapped around you, connected to you, moving against you?"

Her grin was sweet and evil, teasing and loving, but she also was off the bed, and that I simply could not have.

"Bella, come here," I chuckled, but suddenly, she was gone, out the door and down the stairs.

"No barriers, no clothes, no fears," she sang from somewhere downstairs, and I stopped at the top of the staircase to find her pajama bottoms had been discarded.

A low, rumbling growl escaped me at the sight and at the game we were now apparently playing. "Isabella, you shouldn't tease," I warned her.

She laughed, light and easy, which made me smile, despite how I wanted to catch her. "Fiery touch, cool lips, tangled legs, and gripping hands..." she continued to read from the letter.

I found her sitting on the kitchen counter, legs crossed Indian style, pages covering her face. She was only in a shirt, her bare legs so very tempting at this point.

She lowered the letter, meeting my gaze. "You know...the touch isn't fiery anymore. And I don't sweat, baby. Do you miss it?"

"No." My answer came out in a rough growl as I shook my head no. I tried to walk to her, but her shield was keeping me several steps away from her.

She giggled at my reaction, shaking the pages. "It seems at this point, you were a boob man, Edward."

I laughed. I couldn't help it. "Maybe," I chuckled, rolling my eyes at her continuous teasing. "I am seventeen, Bella."

She dropped her shield, using it to pull me to her. "You're over a hundred, you silly thing. Just admit you were a boob man."

"I'm a Bella man," I countered honestly with a shrug, gliding my hands up her crossed thighs to slip them just underneath the hem of her shirt. "That's it. No more. No less." I didn't know any other way to put it. I'd never thought about any of those things until the little brunette in front of me crashed into my life.

Her gaze softened, and she leaned in, kissing my lips sweetly. "So sweet, Edward...but I'm not done," she laughed, using her shield to push me away and launch herself out of the kitchen.

"Bella, please," I begged at this point, because she was killing me. I wanted to kiss her senseless, because she was too adorable all teasing and laughing, despite the fact that it was at my expense.

"I'm not done yet," she called from what sounded like the living room. "You want to play my beautiful body, learn it, tease it, making me come over and over..."

I groaned, because her voice had dropped to a sexy, slow tenor, and she leaned on the words _tease_ and _come_. The air rushed from my lungs when I found her shirt tossed to my piano bench and the most beautiful of sights was laying on top of my black piano. Bella was in all navy blue lace, laying on her stomach, her little feet in the air behind her. And she was just stunning as the setting sun shone through the windows, casting sexy as hell shadows in every dip, curve, and muscle of her body. My eyes drank in skin and thong, bra and mahogany waves, a teasing smile, and the glorious curve of her back.

"Did you get to do that, Edward?" she asked innocently.

"And then some," I mouthed to her with a raised eyebrow, staring unabashedly at my wife, because she was just...stunning.

She grinned, rolling to her side, the pages forgotten for the moment as she allowed me to just...look. I shook my head, unable to even approach the piano, because I was afraid of ruining the perfection in front of me.

"Though," I sighed, my eyes raking from her feet all the way up to her darkening eyes, "the question should be posed to you. Did I learn those things, beautiful girl?"

"And then some," she mouthed back, which caused me to chuckle.

"I want to touch you, my love," I stated softly. It wasn't a request, and it wasn't begging; it was a simple declaration.

Bella smiled, giving me the slightest nod, and I strolled closer to her. Before she could touch that damned letter, I snatched it off of the piano, folded it, and tucked it into my back pocket, which caused my girl to laugh softly.

"Are you done teasing, Isabella?" I growled playfully, reaching out to glide a single finger down her side from her ribcage, all the way to her ankle.

"Never," she giggled.

I smirked at her silly grin, but patted her thigh gently. "On your stomach, baby," I said, allowing my eyes to caress every inch of her. My fingers brushed her hair away from her face and off her shoulder, only to trace down her spine. I slipped them teasingly underneath the lace of her thong, saying, "Mm, this is new."

"Well, I was going to ask for a story about this Texas house, but I got so much more..." she said, and I could hear her amusement.

"Oh, so I _earned_ this?" I asked, glancing up to her face as my hand cupped her sweet bottom, rubbing it, squeezing it, and slowly ghosting closer to her center.

"Oh, you earned it, all right," she whispered, her eyes fluttering when my fingers just barely grazed the material that covered her, but the wetness was already seeping through. I applied just a touch more pressure, causing her to gasp, "Edward..."

Leaving my hand between her legs and cupping her possessively, I leaned over, placing long, slow, open-mouthed kisses to her shoulder, her back, the dimple just above her underwear, and then the round, firm skin of her bottom. I couldn't help but tease her a little as paybacks, so my fingers never quite made it to where she wanted them. Her hips rose up, but I pushed them back down.

"Please, baby," she moaned wantonly, rolling to her side, and I took advantage, making her roll onto her back.

With a flat hand, I caressed her stomach, gliding back between her legs and back up again, reveling in the glorious writhing wave that her body did. I dipped a finger just inside the cup of her bra, causing a low moan to escape her.

"You're just...beautiful, Bella." I sighed in contentment that she was mine and in longing, because I wanted her so damn badly, finally locking gazes with her. "Tell me what you want..."

"You." She reached for me, and I grasped her bottom, lifting her into my arms. "Just you, Edward," she said, wrapping her legs around me as she gripped my t-shirt and shredded it in the blink of an eye.

Her mind opened up like a flower to the sun. _All I ever wanted was you._

Her thought caused me to stumble on my way to the stairs, because I couldn't stop myself from kissing her. It was such an honest and simple statement, but it caused a rumbling freight train of possessiveness to roll through me.

"Mine," I breathed, pressing her into the closest wall.

"Mmhm," she hummed soothingly, nodding slowly. "Oh yes, baby. All yours."

One of her hands grasped at my shoulder from behind, while the other threaded itself into my hair. I knew as soon as my lips touched hers that there would be no stopping us. I was already achingly hard and throbbing for her; just seeing her teasing smile and her glorious body had started that. But our connection was zinging sharp and frantic around us, and I could only imagine it was my short hunting trip, along with the memories that we'd just relived. It was pulling us, forcing us to reconnect.

I pressed more of my weight against her, one hand kneading the sweet, smooth skin of her bare ass, while the other slipped forcefully into her hair. "Bella, I..."

"I know, baby. Me, too," she breathed, closing the minute distance between us.

As soon as her lips touched mine, I felt whole again. I felt sure of us, despite our past. And I felt absolutely ravenous for her. Claiming her mouth, my tongue tasted her, filled her, and slid roughly along her own. I gripped her hair, turning her head so I could have more. Her sweet moan pushed out against my cheek, but I felt it through our chests, and her hips rolled slow and grinding against mine, causing me to buck against her.

"Oh, God," she gasped, breaking away from my mouth, her head falling back to the wall with a dull thump. "More, baby," she pleaded.

I rolled my hips again, dragging my teeth, tongue, and lips down her neck, but my final destination would most likely cause us both to snap. I pulled her from the wall, arching her in my hands, and locking eyes with her, before bending down to trace my tongue around the edge of her immortal scar – _my scar_.

Her eyes rolled back as my tongue met her skin, her body writhed against mine at the same time that her hands pulled and tugged me closer, and her breathing stopped for just a moment. It was one of my favorite sights – to see her lose herself in just feeling. Her thighs gripped my waist, but her hips rolled against me, her center grinding forcefully over my arousal, causing us both to growl low.

_Bed, Edward. Now, now. Please?_

I smiled that such a simple thing could render my girl speechless, but I obeyed her command instantly, flying up the stairs and into our room. Kicking the door closed behind me, I walked to her to the bed, and we fell in a tangle of arms and legs.

Bracing my hands on either side of her head, I gazed down at the only thing that mattered. I frowned, thinking back to the letters I'd written. I'd missed out on so much, but my girl...she was strong and beautiful. She had said more than once that the man that left her and the one that came back were two different men. She preferred the second man.

Warm hands slipped up either side of my face, forcing me to see her, to look at her, and deep, fathomless brown eyes gazed up at me, like she knew what I was thinking. "Make love to me, Edward," she said softly, bringing my lips to hers.

It was a request I'd never denied her, and she knew it. It was a plea that told me she didn't want naughty or dirty. She'd uttered those simple words as a human, and I'd obeyed her then. I'd given in to the little fragile human, knowing full well that I could have broken her, but the thought at the time had never even entered my mind. I'd just wanted her. I'd wanted to finally give into the mate that I'd waited so long for, and she'd owned me – then, now, always.

With careful but teasing hands, the last of our clothes were shed to the bedroom floor. There was no ripping, no destruction, just tickling fingers, warm smiles, and sexy chuckles. I slipped down her body, giving into and reliving everything I'd written about in those old letters. My mouth drank her in. Her body arched beautifully when my lips, my hands teased her nipples, dragging my tongue across them just to hear her gasp as they tightened harder for me. A sweet giggle erupted from her when my tongue dove into her bellybutton, swirling around until she writhed under me. And the most gorgeous sound – my name all breathy and sexy – came tumbling out of her when my hands spread her legs and my tongue licked her sweet, wet folds from one end of her to the other. And my mouth drank her in some more.

Curling two fingers deep inside of her, I sucked, licked, teased, and coaxed her to the very edge. "Come for me, love. Let me see you," I crooned, using the same words I'd used on her the first time we'd made love. And just like then, her back bowed as she shattered around my fingers and her legs pulled me closer.

I crawled up her body, settling myself in the cradle of her thighs and brushing her hair from her face. "I love you."

She smiled up at me, her legs and arms wrapping themselves around me like a shield, like an impenetrable force that made me feel protected, loved, and cherished, but it also made me feel heroic, strong, and incredibly lucky, because she was looking at me like nothing else mattered.

"I love you, too, baby," she breathed, her breath catching as I lined up with her entrance.

I bent to her neck, dragging my teeth lightly over her flesh, my lips at her ear. "And then some," I purred, sheathing myself completely inside of her.

"Ugnnh, yes," she hissed, her neck arching back, her fingers clawing down my back to my ass. She pulled me in deeper, holding me there. "Shit, just...don't move," she panted as my forehead fell to hers.

"I have to move, love," I pleaded, reaching back and taking her hands in mine. Linking our fingers together and pressing them above her head, I held still for as long as I could, but the fluttering of her insides around me just about caused me to come undone.

"I know, but you feel _so_ _good_," she moaned, her eyes rolling back.

I smiled, pulling out of her, only to thrust back in, causing the same sound to erupt from her. Squeezing her hands, I did it again, starting a slow, deep rhythm. Her hips began to meet mine, her legs hitching up higher around my waist. I let her hands go, falling to an elbow and giving in to touching her. I ghosted my palm over her breast, giving it a squeeze before moving down her side. I tilted her hip so I could drive deeper, harder into her.

"Oh God, there," she gasped, gripping my shoulder and my ass at the same time.

"Here?" I asked, hitting the same spot again. "Is that where you need me, my beautiful girl?" I crooned in her ear, knowing full well what my voice did to her.

"Yes, yes..._yes_," she groaned with each thrust I gave her, but growled the last yes, her whole body arching, clenching, and fluttering around me.

She rolled us, and I found myself gazing up at her as she used my body for more. I grinned, dragging my tongue along my bottom lip. "You need more, baby?"

"Yeah," she breathed, nodding fervently and pulling me up so we were face to face. "More...tell me..."

I knew what she wanted, what she needed, because I could hear her sweet, needy mind, so with one hand guiding her hip to make her feel good, the other slipped into her hair so my mouth met her throat.

"You're all I've ever wanted, my sweet girl," I told her, licking up to the soft spot just below her ear. "Never think any different, baby. At first sight of you..." I purred, gripping her hips to force a rougher rhythm. "The first time I talked to you..." I told her, licking up her chin as her head fell back. "Mmm, and when my lips first touched yours..." I rumbled, nipping lightly at her lips. "With every fight...every time we made love...every step down the aisle when you married me...every moment I was away from you, and every moment I'm with you..." I continued, kissing every inch of her neck and chest as she arched in my lap. "With every sweet smile, every I love you, and every beautiful laugh..." I whispered, my voice lowering to almost a threatening tone, suckling on her earlobe at the same time my thumb slipped between us to her swollen clit. "_I always fucking wanted you_."

"Edward...oh, God," she gasped as she shattered in my arms, my words sending her over the edge.

I couldn't hold on much longer. She was too beautiful, too responsive to me, and her climax milked my own. My teeth latched on lightly to the side of her neck as I spilled deep within her, a low, rumbling growl erupting from me as my eyes rolled back in my head.

"Fuck, so good, so good," I muttered against her skin, unable to stop my mouth from kissing her or the sated shudders that wracked my frame.

Soothing hands caressed my back as our foreheads pressed together. Our eyes locked for just a moment as our breathing settled down. The sweet chocolate brown that I so loved swirled back into her eyes as she gazed at me. Her lips were kiss-bruised, her chest heaved, and her hair was a sexy mess, and she was perfect.

In her mind, she couldn't figure out which was a trigger more: my written words to her, or her lingerie to me. I grinned, kissing her roughly. She giggled softly and shrugged.

"Oh, my sweet, beautiful Mrs. Cullen," I chuckled darkly, shaking my head and wrapping her up. I fell back to the bed with her as she squeaked at the sudden movement, kissing her senseless, until she was breathless all over again. "I'm pretty sure..._that's_ a tie."

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><p><strong>AN... I'm totally nervous about this outtake, because I think it means too much to me. It sort of sums up the whole Angel series. It's healing and struggle that are no more, but the road to get there was awesome. :) **

**I hope you liked this one. I need to thank JenRar for beta'in this. MedusaInNY and GooberLou for prereading it, who both told me to calm the hell down. **

**This is the last thing I'll be posting for a bit. I've got some ideas that I need to sort out, but as soon as I know something, you will. I'm not going away, merely taking a break. **

**I love you all, I love that you love my Angelward, and I hope that you liked this one. Let me know what you thought. Much love and until next time... Later! :)**


	3. Haunted Angel Outtake 1

**A/N... Okay, so I had asked all of you to pick which outtake you wanted. The response was overwhelming, actually. It was a choice between a storm on Isle Esme or the quickie on the motorcycle heading back to Caribou. It was a tight race...not including those of you that said... "BOTH!" LOL So...I am gonna write both. Just not all at one time. The motorcycle outtake called to me first, so that's what this outtake is. You'll find it from Chapter 27 of _Haunted Angel_. **

**Now...before you ask... No, you really don't have to read HA first, but there will be a few references you might not understand. **

**As usual... LEMON WARNING! And see me at the bottom for an announcement.**

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><p><strong>~oooOOOooo~<strong>

**Motorcycle outtake from Chapter 27 of Haunted Angel**

**EDWARD**

The "Entering Massachusetts" sign was a blur as Bella passed it...and car, after truck, after SUV. From a human's perspective, we probably looked dangerous and out of control on the bike, pushing it to its limits, but that was far from the case. Bella's eyes and reactions were razor-sharp, and I had complete faith in her. Not to mention, she could completely shield us should any car make a stupid decision.

I was wrapped around my girl from behind, and as much as my hands wanted to tease and touch, I had no alternative but to pay attention to our surroundings. We were speeding, and while, luckily, the sun was setting, to get caught would not be a good idea. So I listened to the oncoming traffic to tell me what lay ahead.

"I think we'll stop for gas once we're in Boston, sweet girl," I suggested over the radio in our helmets, patting her thigh with one hand and her stomach with the other. "I'll take it from there. Okay?"

She nodded. "Okay. Just tell me."

If I was battling my own desires to touch her, then her thoughts simply sent me over the edge. I wasn't quite sure why I needed her the way I did. Maybe it was the knowledge that just for a moment, I could lose myself in her to forget the stress of what awaited us in Caribou. But it was there, crackling and burning, and when her thoughts drifted over memories, slowly shifting into dangerous territory, my hand moved on its own – fingers spreading, pressing her back against me and barely skimming across skin that was exposed just above her jeans. I smirked behind my helmet, watching her mind sort through thoughts and trying her damnedest to keep them clean. Just before she shielded me from them all, I caught a brief glimpse what the feel of my hands and my legs were doing to her. But they were instantly gone.

"Bella..."

"Sorry," she whispered, and even with the radio, I could barely hear her.

"Take the next exit, love," I told her, and there was nothing I could do to hide what she did to me. I was hard for her, pressing into the small of her back.

She did as I asked, veering off at the next ramp. It was a small road, jutting off east and west, but it was quiet. There were no gas stations, fast food restaurants, or hotels. Bella took the first side road – a barely-seen dirt path that seemed to lead into nothing but farmland – kicking down the bike's stand and tugging her helmet off.

The scent of her wrecked me, her chocolate waves practically smacking me in the face as I pulled my own helmet off. She stepped off the bike, but I didn't let her get very far.

"I'm sorry, Edward... I didn't... Should I give you a minute?" she rambled adorably.

I shook my head, my brow furrowing a bit as I tugged her closer, but I stayed straddling the bike.

"Never apologize to me for your thoughts, sweet girl. Ever," I said, cupping her chin and locking gazes with her. "And you're not the only one." I grinned when she giggled and leaned in to kiss me.

"Oh, yeah?" she whispered against my lips. "And what were _you _thinking about, handsome?"

There was a time in our relationship when I wouldn't have answered that question with complete honesty. I would've hedged around the truth, thinking she couldn't handle all that went on in my mind. I wanted her too much when she was human – to the point that I was afraid I'd break her with my need and strength, overwhelm her with how much I wanted and loved her, and scare her away with how twisted and debauched my desires went. Now was a different story.

Slipping my hand into her windblown hair at the back of her neck, I kissed her. Hard. I pulled back, pressing my forehead to hers, rubbing the tender skin just behind her ear with my thumb, and whispering, "I was thinking how sexy you'd look draped across this bike, completely bare and at my mercy."

Bella licked her lips, finally biting down on the bottom one. But her darkening eyes gazed around us for a second. "Are we safe here?" she asked in a raspy yet sexy tone, nuzzling my nose with her own. "And do we have time, Edward?"

I nodded slowly in answer to both as she raked her fingers through my hair. Aside from the occasional car that traveled the main road behind us, there were no minds for miles. The sun had set, the trees were blocking us from view, and I couldn't stop the need to lose myself in her, if only for a moment.

"I want you, Bella," I urged without apology, kissing her softly. "We'll be quick. Please, baby..."

Her answering smile was wicked and evil and really sexy. She pulled away from me to reach for our bag that was draped across my shoulder. Tossing it and both helmets to the ground, our tiny bit of control snapped. Jackets were shed, and Bella kicked out of her shoes and dropped most of her clothes to the grass, leaving her in the sexiest scraps of black lace and satin. She straddled the bike facing me and gripped my reaching hands.

"Not so fast, handsome," she said with a giggle, allowing me back into her thoughts.

"Yes, ma'am," I purred at her silent mental command. I reached back, grabbed a fistful of my T-shirt, and tugged it off over my head, only to drop it on top of the rest of our things. "Better?"

"Mmhm," she purred, ghosting her hands up my chest, across my shoulders, and into my hair at the same time that I slid her onto my lap and wrapped her around me. The second she felt how hard I was, a low growl rumbled out of her. "I love that you always want me like this."

"Always," I agreed in a whisper, gliding my hands over every inch of exposed flesh – her thighs, her stomach, her back, and finally the cheeks of her ass that were uncovered due to the thong she was torturing me with. Arching her beautiful body with one hand on her back, the other tugged down the cups of her bra, simply to taste her. Dragging my teeth over each peaked nipple, I said, "Reach back, love. Grab the handlebars and don't you dare let go."

My erection was painful, still confined to my jeans, because nothing looked as amazing as she did stretched out over that motorcycle. Her legs rubbed over my own, then up my sides, finally hooking around me to pull me closer.

Bella's eyes had swirled from deep amber to a wicked pitch black. Seeing her reclined back on that bike was reminiscent of every debauched thought I'd ever heard. Pornography in every form came flying back to my mind – movies, magazines, internet... Some of it was obtained against my will, though some of it was investigated by me out of simple curiosity...before Bella. Emmett had a disturbing amount of it, and so did Alice, which would surprise people if they knew, not that she cared. I'd seen this concept in music videos, advertisements, and a movie or two – a beautiful woman in lingerie perched provocatively on an expensive machine. But nothing..._nothing_ came close to how perfect and sinful and sexy Bella was spread out in front of me on that Harley.

"Fuck, Bella... You look..." I paused with a slow shake to my head, unable to articulate exactly how stunning she was while my flattened hand ghosted up her stomach and between her breasts.

Bella grinned, biting down on that bottom lip of hers, and giggled softly. "Your face says this is something you've wanted..."

I blew out a sharp breath. "Uh, yeah..."

Her mind exploded in thoughts of giving me this. She seemed to take so much pleasure in giving me whatever fantasy ran through my mind. And that caused her scent, her arousal to skyrocket around me. It infused the very air around me so that I could barely sense anything else.

There was a part of me that wanted to say, "Fuck it," and take my time with her. I wanted to devour every inch of her on that bike, strip her bare in order to expose her to the trees around us, but I knew we didn't have time. However, I was going to make the most of what I was given.

Trailing my fingers downward, I glided them between her legs, growling low when I discovered wet, warm, swollen. Slipping my fingers just inside her thong, I smiled evilly when she moaned, her body writhing atop that bike and her hands gripping the handlebars hard.

"Mm, sweet girl... What's making you this wet, hmmm?" I asked, not only because I knew she loved my voice, but I really, really wanted to know. "The possibility of being discovered? Or does the bike turn you on?"

She didn't answer for a few seconds; she merely reveled in my touch, her head falling back to the gauges behind her. Her hips rose, her feet planted on my thighs in order to search, seek, hunt for more.

The answer was in her mind. It was a yes to all of it and then some. It was the slight touch of exhibitionist in her, the love for expensive and fast machines that she hadn't always had, but it was mostly the desire to give me everything. Pure, perfect trust...in me.

I shoved her underwear to the side, having no desire to completely expose her, and slid two fingers deep inside of her, smirking when a plethora of curse words bubbled up out of her. I wanted to see her climax once before I took her.

My dick throbbed as Bella's cries, her tight core, and her heady, floral scent assaulted my senses. Her hips moved with my hand, raising up to seek more friction where she needed it the most. Giving in to her, I dragged my thumb over the hood of her clit, only to circle back around and press down. Bella's grip tightened on the handlebars, her breathing came out in pants, and her stomach muscles tightened.

"Oh, beautiful, you're close..." I warned her teasingly.

"Inside, Edward!" she commanded.

"No. Not until you come for me. Then I'll give you my cock, Isabella," I growled at her, but grinned in spite of it all. I _needed_ her to fall apart first.

I knew her body better than she did. I knew with a little more curl to my fingers, a little more pressure, and just the right words, she'd fall apart at the seams.

Bracing a hand next to hers on the handlebars, I leaned awkwardly over her, taking a nipple in my teeth and giving it a gentle bite. "Do you know how long I've wanted you like this, Bella?" I asked her, not waiting for an answer before I flattened my tongue over each nipple. "So, so long...the very second you told me that you knew how to ride a motorcycle..." Which meant she was still human, and I knew she'd lose it over that.

"Oh fuck, oh fuck, oh fuck..." she chanted, arching up as best she could as the tidal wave of her climax crashed down on her.

Grinning, I road out her spasms, pulling my hand away when she finally calmed down.

Bella sat up, reaching for my jeans, but her eyes were on mine. "You should've told me, Edward," she chastised in a sexy tone. "I would've taken care of you..."

Chuckling, I lifted enough to let her pull me free from my jeans. "I wanted you on the hood of my Vanquish...more," I purred, but it turned into a low, rumbling growl when her hand gripped me tightly.

"Mm, we did that, didn't we?" she crooned, leaning forward enough to tease my mouth with kisses at the same time her hand worked over my shaft with perfect speed and strength.

"We did...spectacularly. Lie back again, baby..."

Bella did as I asked, taking hold of the handlebars again, her dark eyes raking over me, but I stretched her out beautifully by dragging her closer to me. Draping her legs over mine, I lined myself up at her entrance, leaving her underwear shoved off to the side. With a grip to her hips, a swift thrust, and a feral grunt, I fully seated myself inside her, causing the most amazing sound to erupt from her into the air around us.

My head fell back with how deep I was, but movement was limited this way...until Bella started to rotate her hips. What started as somewhat awkward became fluid and graceful. It was a rhythm that never failed to match up with us, despite the fact that I could hear her every thought, need, demand.

The bike wobbled a little under our movements, and Bella suddenly lifted up, fully seating herself on my lap and taking me that much deeper inside her. Gripping her ass, I guided her, but otherwise let her take me as she wished.

Her hands grasped my shoulder and threaded into my hair, holding me close as I leaned in to leave long, languid open-mouthed kisses up her neck. I could feel her nipples pressed against my chest, and they only peaked tighter when they brushed along my skin.

"Fuck, baby...you always feel so good," I grunted as she swiveled her hips just enough to catch me off guard. With a hand on her back, I bent her slowly back in order to drag my tongue over her immortal scar. "Mm, I do love your reaction to that..." I whispered against the now-wet skin, blowing cool air across it.

"Edward," she panted, her whole body shuddering, twitching, clenching.

She'd tried multiple times to show me, explain to me just how sensitive that scar was. I wasn't sure if it was physically different than any other part of her flesh, but her reaction was always just shy of out of control. She could literally come with just my mouth on it. Again, another twisted fantasy came to mind.

"One day, baby..." I crooned, swirling my tongue over the indented skin. "One day, I want to come on you...right here. Can I do that?" I suckled at the scar, drawing her skin hard into my mouth.

Her mind exploded into an atom bomb of expletives, promises of anything that I wanted, and mental apologies because she was about to come – and come hard.

"Wait, wait, wait," I begged, hoisting her back up straight. "With me, sweet girl. Come with me. Just a bit longer. You feel too good..."

"Edward, baby...please! It's too much!"

I could hardly ever resist the _please – s_he so very rarely asked anything of me – so with one more flat-tongued lick to her scar, I whispered, "Let go..."

Pressing her forehead to mine, her arms wrapped around my neck as she shattered completely in my arms. The bike wobbled with the force of it, and I couldn't hold on any longer. I came hard with an open mouth against hers, sharing the same breaths. Tremors continued to wreak havoc on her as I held her close, staying deep inside her for the moment.

Grinning when her mind was curious as to whose fault this incredibly hot distraction was, I kissed her lips, lingering on the sweet flavor of them.

"Mine. I take full responsibility, my sweet, beautiful girl," I admitted with a chuckle.

She giggled, whispering that she loved me and grasping a hold of either side of my face. "I suppose you want to drive now, captain?"

"Might as well, sweetheart," I sighed, hating the thought of releasing her, but I knew we needed to get going. We had stalled long enough. "I was going to take over when we stopped for gas."

She kissed me again. "Okay. It's all yours, Edward."

Bella and I righted our clothes and redressed, cleaning ourselves up with a shirt from inside the duffel bag. Slipping forward on the seat of the bike, Bella straddled behind me, handed me a helmet, and draped our bag across her chest. She hugged me close, wrapping her arms around me, and I couldn't resist pressing several kisses to her palm and the inside of her wrist, finally kissing her wedding ring with reverence.

Over the radio, I said, "We'll stop soon for gas, and then we'll make it home in a few hours, okay?"

She curled around me, pressing her face into a spot between my shoulder blades. I felt her inhale my scent deeply, and I fought my laugh. Post-coital Bella was one of my favorites. She was sweet, cuddly, almost docile.

"Okay, Edward."

When I felt her shift again, put on her helmet, and sigh contentedly through the speakers of the radio, I started the bike up. Merging back on the highway, I made our way north. It wasn't long, traveling at the high speed I was, until I needed to pull us back off the interstate for gas. I found a twenty-four-hour truck stop, thankful the sun was completely down.

Flinching at the minds that assaulted me, I took a deep breath and let it out as I turned off the bike in front of the farthest gas pump. Bella took off her helmet, as did I, and I stepped off the bike, slipping my card into the gas pump to pay. Leaning over, I pressed a kiss to her lips. They were still red and bruised from our time on that back road, and they were irresistible.

Bella pulled back, her nose wrinkling adorably. "What...is that _smell_?" she whispered, holding my face to hers for a split second.

I glanced around, chuckling a little. "I believe what you're searching for is behind us. He's—"

"He?!" Bella cracked up, afraid to look behind her. "Oh, damn. I didn't think humans could smell that bad. I thought _Dwayne_ at the bar smelled awful."

Laughing at her, I shrugged a shoulder. The man that ran the bar, _Leather and Lace,_ where we played music, did smell pretty bad, but the truck driver at the diesel pump behind us was worse. Way worse. He smelled like days of sweat, greasy human food, cigarette smoke, and things I was afraid to give a name to, because if my guess was correct, then some woman out there smelled infinitely worse than this guy. Not only that, but she'd actually allowed him to touch her. That last thought made me want to vomit.

"Baby, you look ill," Bella whispered, her eyes raking over my face.

"Don't ask," I warned her, raising an eyebrow, which only made her chuckle at me.

It was all fun and games until the truck driver finally set eyes on my girl. The thoughts that flew through his mind were foul and disgusting, lewd, and bordered on downright illegal. He licked his lips, eying me for a moment before he chuckled to himself. He saw us as young, but considering what we were traveling on, he estimated that we were around nineteen or twenty. He assumed we were college students on our way back into Boston. Considering our clothes and the bike, he was willing to bet I was some rich frat boy from Harvard.

The growl that rumbled out of me could only be heard by Bella, but she poked me, frowning toward the guy behind us. _Her_ mind was even more entertaining. She likened him to a member of ZZ Top or Rip Van Winkle. I wanted to laugh because his beard did make him look like a strange character out of the books she read, but his decision to speak to her negated every bit of good humor I'd tried to find in this situation.

The gas nozzle popped, indicating that the tank was full, and the second I turned around to hang it up and grab my receipt, the guy spoke to Bella.

"Hey, sexy! Why don't you try a real man? Pretty boy there couldn't possibly be taking care of you... Hell, he's as pretty as a woman. Does he even _like_ girls?" he taunted, wiping his mouth with his dirty fingers. "C'mon, beautiful, let me show you my truck."

Bella's hand landed gently yet firmly on my arm to stop me from not only saying something but retaliating in a way I'd most likely regret. There was a moment that I actually feared for the guy. I knew how protective Bella could be of me, I knew that she found him repulsive, and I knew that she detested being hit on like that, especially when it attracted attention like this guy was doing. Her eyes went black for a moment, but just when I thought she'd verbally lay into this disgusting slug, she burst into laughter. Like belly-holding, breathtaking, loud laughter.

In her mind, her whole body was still ripe and tingling from the sex we'd just had. She could still feel me inside her, where my tongue had caressed her scar, the grip of my hands on her hips. My scent was covering her, saturating her clothes, hair, and skin – not that the bear of a man could smell it past his own stench, but she could, and that was all that mattered to her.

Bella couldn't even speak, she was laughing so hard. And the guy debated on pursuing the situation, but there was an older couple at the next pump that was filling up an SUV, and they started to chuckle, as well, because she was completely contagious. I wanted to be angry, I wanted to stay possessive, but I couldn't, not with that beautiful and taunting laugh wrapping around me.

"Bella-love," I snorted, shaking my head and stepping to her to cup her face. Had she been human, she'd have had tears running down her sweet cheeks and a bright pink tinge to them.

"Oh, tell me he's kidding, Edward," she gasped, turning to give him a quick glance. "Does Rip Van Winkle _really_ think..." She couldn't even finish that sentence before bursting into giggles again. "Oh, God, if he only knew what you were capable of..." she mused, shaking her head.

The truck driver didn't hear her, but he was now thoroughly embarrassed and feeling a bit stupid.

I couldn't resist kissing her if I tried. There was no stopping it. She was too beautiful, way too happy, and still smelled like want and sex and me. Sweet God, I just fucking loved her with an absolute endless sickness. I brushed my lips across hers, but she snapped, latching on with tenacity and a low, feral growl, kissing me back to total distraction. I claimed her mouth with my tongue, delving deep and slow and relishing the taste of her. I bit at her lips, suckled them, pulling back with a smirk when I could tell just what one single kiss was doing to her.

Pressing my forehead to hers, I bit down on my bottom lip to keep from truly claiming her, be damned of who was around.

Bella smiled, licking her lips. "We should go," she whispered.

"Yes, ma'am," I whispered back. Straightening up, I turned to see that the truck driver was watching us surreptitiously from the driver's side of his cab. I nodded once to him, giving him a shit-eating grin. "I believe you have your answer..._sir_." I straddled the bike in front of Bella, taking the helmet she was handing me. "Thanks, sweet girl."

She giggled. "Mmhm," was the only thing I heard over the speakers in my ears as I started the bike back up.

As I pulled away from the gas pumps, my silly girl shot a wave to our smelly friend on the way by, making me shake my head. Gunning the engine, I shot back onto the highway, heading for home.

* * *

><p><strong>~oooOOOooo~<strong>

**A/N... There you go... Outtake 1 of 2. I will be writing the Storm outtake soon, but I'm not sure when, which leads me to my announcement.**

**For those of you that are fans of _Coming Home_, you'll be happy to know that Sarge's Girls have teamed up again – for those that don't know...that's me and JenRar. :) Keep watch for our new fic that will be starting soon. It will be under our combined screen-name, which you'll find the link on my personal profile. The new fic is called _In Pursuit_, and we're really excited about it. At most, it'll be about 2 weeks before we post, so you'll want to put us on alert. Because you know you're not going to want to miss U.S. Marshalward. ;) This will be action, adventure, crime, romance... Pfft...of course there's romance... LOL **

**Anyway, you'll find the links for our FB group and my blog on my profile, too. **

**So...that being said, I really, really don't know when Outtake #2 will come about. Most likely after Marshalward has been completely written. **

**I hope you enjoyed this...and I'll see you soon. Mooches, Deb. :)**


	4. All I Want for Christmas

**A/N… This was written for JenRar for her birthday. ;) I chose to give her Angelward for a couple of reasons. First, she adores him. Just loves him to pieces, and I couldn't help but hand him over to her on her day. Second, he's what brought her to me. Without him, we wouldn't have become friends, and I swear I don't know how I lived without her before. She's more than my beta; she's become one of the closest friends I have.**

**Jenny, I love you. Happy birthday, babe. This is for you, and it picks up where **_**Haunted Angel **_** left off. ;)**

**~oOo~**

_**All I Want for Christmas: An Angel Series Outtake**_

**BPOV**

The soft sound of snow hitting the window was the only sound heard in my house. Gazing out over the backyard of our home in Montana, I shook my head at just how perfect everything looked outside. A blanket of white covered everything, the small pond was partially frozen over, and all of it was completely untouched, as the sunset started to sink low.

The only lights on were the ones on the Christmas tree. They reflected off the shiny black surface of Edward's piano and the large front window. A smile curled my mouth at the sight of it all.

Edward had surprised me after class, having pulled all our decorations down from the attic. He'd gone out to find the perfect tree, and had even put on the lights, but he'd waited until I'd arrived to put the ornaments on with me. I'd giggled at him when he'd greeted me at the door with pine needles sticking out of his hair, wearing a proud, childlike expression on his face. It was our first Christmas in this house since we'd moved to Montana – our last being in the temporary apartment – and he'd wanted it all. He wanted lights, trees, wreaths, and mistletoe. The latter was _everywhere_, which was just Edward being silly and sweet and sexy. The only thing we didn't have were presents. It was something we'd agreed on, simply because we needed for nothing. A Cullen family vote was unanimous that we'd help others less fortunate than ourselves this year.

We'd been incredibly busy since moving into this house. Despite the fact that we had our own place, Edward and I had classes to attend, homework, and there was always something going on at the main house. With the addition of Caroline and Archie to our family, we were also needed for guidance and support. Kevin and Adrian had started classes with Edward and me this past fall, but Archie would probably never be comfortable around that many humans, and Caroline was just barely into this life, so she wasn't ready to get out into the world on a regular basis, either, though she attended some college events with the rest of us.

My phone vibrated in my back pocket, and I smiled at the picture of Edward's face that lit the screen.

"Hi, handsome," I answered, turning off the fireplace. "You on your way?"

"Sweet girl," he sighed wearily. "No, that's why I'm calling. Carlisle needed my help unloading all the presents at the shelter _and _the hospital. I'm gonna be stuck here in town. I hate you driving in this weather, but…"

I chuckled, walking to the kitchen to get the keys to the Volvo SUV. "No worries. I'll leave now."

"Bella, wait," he called. "I need you to do something for me."

"You need clothes for after, I know. I packed us a bag, Edward."

He chuckled over the line, and I could almost see his hand claw at his hair if I closed my eyes. "Well, yeah, I'd forgotten about that. Thanks, love."

We'd committed ourselves to the kids at the hospital where Carlisle worked, and then serving dinner and passing out presents at the shelter. After we finished, Kevin and Emmett had begged for a family night out – music and dancing on Christmas Eve since we weren't exchanging presents.

"Well, I can't imagine you'd want to go dancing in that Santa suit, baby," I teased him, fighting my laugh at his groan.

"Not funny," he growled.

"You lost that bet fair and square, Mr. Cullen. So suck it up," I told him.

"Don't remind me," he muttered belligerently.

Grinning, I bit my lip. The boys never, ever missed an opportunity to bet on something, and performing as Santa Claus for kids was no different. Emmett always enjoyed it, but somehow Truth or Dare at Thanksgiving had gotten out of hand, and the subject of Santa had come up. The constant need to be the best at something had morphed from a dare to a disgusting bet on who could eat the most raw oysters. Somehow, Jasper had acquired what seemed like a barrel of the slimy things, and the next thing we all knew Carlisle, Emmett, Jasper, and Edward were in a race to swallow as many as they could. My poor Edward lost.

"They were so disgusting, Bella," he stated over the line, which made me lose my battle with my laugh. "And the _smell_!"

"Okay, okay," I soothed him. "I won't say I told you so, but… Anyway, what did you need before I left?"

"I know we agreed no gifts, but I left you something on the top of the piano," he said nervously. "Technically, I didn't buy anything, so I'm not breaking any rules, but I thought since you'd be in the car…"

My brow furrowed, but I walked to the piano, and laying on top of a pile of his music sheets was a CD case. My name was scrawled across the cover in his beautiful script, along with "Merry Christmas."

"What is it?" I asked softly.

"You'll see, baby," he told me sweetly.

"Okay." I grinned, holding it to my chest, which was a little rough around the edges with Edward being just outside our limit. "Then I guess it's only fair to tell you that I got you something, too."

"Yeah? What?" he asked, sounding like the seventeen-year-old he was.

"Oh, no," I chided. "You'll have to wait for yours, sir."

"Fair enough, my love," he said with a soft laugh. "Just be careful driving. I'll see you when you get here. I'm sorry I couldn't get away."

"It's okay. Love you."

"Love you, too, sweet girl."

Smiling, I snatched up the keys, the bag I'd packed, and the CD case and walked out to the garage that Edward had added over our summer break from school. I got inside the car, cranking it up, and opening the CD. Out fell a folded piece of paper, and again, a giggle escaped me at just how much Edward spoiled me in all the little ways I loved so much.

I set the disc on my lap, opening the note.

_My dearest Isabella,_

_You must understand, my sweet, beautiful girl, that I can't let a holiday go by without doing something for you. I just can't. It's impossible for me to ignore it. To allow it to pass without showing you, the world, and everyone around us just how much another year with you means to me seems wrong, a sin in its highest forms. _

_I know we swore no presents, and I can completely understand why. We have everything we want, everything we need, and to see you give to others is a stunning sight to behold. Your smile can brighten anyone's day, calm a nervous child, or soothe a shattered soul. Believe me, I should know. I was all of those things when I first met you._

_However, my love for you sometimes comes spilling out of me. I couldn't help but give you something you've been missing. I know we've been busy with school. I know that it'll only continue to get busier. Your patience with teaching Caroline this life has been never-ending. But I know you, my love. I know you miss hearing us play. There hasn't been much time for it, so I thought you'd like a few songs I recorded. _

_It sounds egotistical to anyone who doesn't know us, but every time I ask you what you want, you simply say, me. So, I'm giving you…me. _

_I love that you love me this much, beautiful. I hope you understand that you mean so much to me that words fail me. You render me speechless on the best of days, Mrs. Cullen. You are my wish on every fallen star._

_Merry Christmas, my sweet girl. I love you._

_Always,_

_Edward_

I brought the paper to my nose and inhaled, smiling at the scent of honey and sunshine that still lingered from where he'd touched it. I folded the note back up and tucked it away in the bag in the passenger seat, pulling out my phone.

Alice picked up on the second ring, saying, "Carlisle rocks!"

I laughed. "Yes, he came through with flying colors. I'm leaving the house now."

"Excellent," she chirped happily. "The hospital won't take long. There aren't too many kids this year, which I suppose is a really good thing. However, we'll need to stay for clean up at the shelter."

"No problem," I said, backing out of the garage. "It'll give us a reason to meet the boys at the club."

"I know!" she squealed, but then paused. "Oh, and don't speed. You're fine on time, but there's an accident on the main highway."

"Got it. See you in a few."

I hung up the phone, slipping the disc into the player. I couldn't help but grin at the sound of Edward's voice and piano filling the car. I gave a quick run-through of the list and shook my head. He'd given me all my favorites. He'd been right in his note that we hadn't had the time for the fun family outings that we'd grown accustom to, but little did he know, I had a surprise or two of my own.

**~oOo~**

"Thanks, Santa!" a little girl gushed, but it was the quick kiss to Santa's cheek that made me swoon. She had bright blue eyes and two missing front teeth, but she clutched the doll he'd handed her like she'd never let it go.

"Merry Christmas, Gabbie." Edward's voice was soft, smoother than most St. Nicks, and that thought made him narrow his eyes at me across the shelter.

"I'm not actually sure that there could've been a better Santa," Carlisle muttered to me in a soft laugh. "He's reading their minds for what they want."

Chuckling, I pulled the pan of mashed potatoes off the hot serving line. "It's dead helpful. Though, I'm not so sure Jasper isn't pumping the hyper ones with calm."

We carried what a normal human would carry, though all of this would've been easier had we been able to use our true strength and speed. Kevin, Adrian, and Esme were all washing dishes and putting them away. Emmett, Archie, and Jasper were taking the garbage out. The night was almost over.

"I'm gonna go wipe down the tables," I told them, grabbing a wet rag.

It had been a long, emotionally exhausting night. The hospital only had six kids in the ward, so we only stayed long enough for Santa to hand out presents and for me to read _Twas the Night Before Christmas_.

The shelter had been a bit tougher. Esme and I had worked alongside the shelter's volunteers, who had spent most of the day cooking. We relieved them from serving. There were enough of us to get the job done, and that was even with Caroline and Alice playing elves to Edward's Santa.

I stepped back out into the lunchroom, noting that just about everyone had cleared out. There was an elderly woman at the farthest table still eating, and a younger couple was getting up to leave. I wiped down the first two tables, cleaning up trash on the third, when I saw the little boy by the door.

He was small, no more than five, with hazel eyes and dark brown hair. He shifted nervously on his feet, his eyes locked behind me where it was obvious that Santa was packing things up.

_Edward, baby, wait,_ I thought to my husband, who immediately turned my way.

"He's leaving?" the little guy asked, tears welling up in his eyes. "I knew I'd miss him…"

"Hey," I said, kneeling in front of him. "He's not gone yet. What's your name?"

"Jeremy," he sniffled. "I had to wait for my mom, and then we had to walk."

"Hi, Jeremy, I'm Bella. It's okay," I soothed him, offering him my hand. "C'mon, we'll go see him." We walked over to where Edward was waiting patiently, and Alice appeared at his side. "Santa, this is Jeremy. He's a busy guy, but he did his best to make it on time."

Edward chuckled, leaning forward. "Hello, Jeremy. Come here and tell me what you want for Christmas."

The little guy stepped forward, letting go of my hand. He opted not to sit on Edward's lap, but instead, stood between his legs. He took a deep breath, his face scrunching up adorably. However, Edward's brow furrowed for a moment, obviously reading the boy's mind.

"I just…I mean… I really wanted a bike," Jeremy murmured nervously. "We just moved and my old one couldn't come. It wouldn't fit…"

Edward nodded, looking to Alice with a nod.

Alice grinned, shooting a wink my way. "I told him to save that last bike," she stated, just soft enough the little man didn't hear her as she stepped behind the curtain.

She came back out with a brand new boys' bike. It was bright, metallic blue with knobby dirt tires, and it even had a helmet hanging from the handlebars.

"No way!" Jeremy squeaked, his eyes widening as it came closer and closer.

Edward laughed softly, placing a gloved hand on the boy's shoulder. "Way," he told him teasingly. "Is there anything else you want, Jeremy?" he asked, and my brow furrowed because normally, he'd let them go after the present was given.

Jeremy shook his head. "Not for me. And you don't give presents to grownups."

"Try me," Edward told him, but his voice told me there was something important that Jeremy was wanting. "Who's the grownup?"

"My mom," he whispered, giving the woman who was waiting patiently in the back of the room a quick glance. "She's… She needs a job. If not, she says we gotta move again, but I don't wanna live with Grandpa. He smells funny."

Alice and I giggled, simply because the honesty of that statement was too damn cute.

Edward looked up at me, and then back at Jeremy, saying, "I'll see what I can do. Okay, buddy?"

Jeremy grinned, gripping the handlebars of his new bike. "Thanks, Santa!"

Once he walked to his mom, Alice said, "I'll send Jasper after them to see where she lives, Edward. We'll send something her way. But…" Her voice trailed off. It was apparent that she was having a vision. "Ah…she applies at the hospital. Excellent. I'll tell Carlisle."

Edward nodded, the pinch in his eyes lessening at Alice's vision. I started to go finish my cleaning of the tables, but instead, I found myself pulled up onto Santa's lap.

"Are you gonna tell Santa what _you_ want for Christmas?" I was asked in my ear, and I broke into a laugh, shaking my head. "No?" he asked.

"Nope, I'm good, big guy," I said, patting his belly, which was really a pillow shoved in there. "I've got everything a girl could ask for."

He grinned, and I only knew that from the crinkle in the corners of his eyes. His mouth was hidden behind a fake, white beard.

I tugged beard down a little, giggling at him. "God, you're so cute, I can't stand it."

He huffed a laugh, pressing his lips to mine, briefly. "Did you like your present, sweet girl?" he asked, nuzzling my nose with his.

"I did. It was perfect, Edward. When did you have time for that?"

He shrugged a shoulder. "I have my ways, beautiful."

"Don't I know it," I told him, pointing to the tables. "Let me finish, so we can get out of here. The girls and I have to clean up before we meet you at the club."

"Wait… What? We're not riding together?" he asked, sounding almost like he was pouting. "And where's my present?"

Giggling, I got up from his lap, but dropped another kiss to his lips. "Oh, Edward…patience. Christmas isn't over yet."

**~oOo~**

**EPOV**

I stepped in through the door of the club, shaking my head. As if the assault on my mind wasn't tested with all the kids tonight, I now had the thoughts of inebriated, slightly depressed human adults on Christmas Eve, which was a thousand times worse. I caught glimpses of family arguments, loneliness, and a few who were there hoping to just wind down before facing the holiday at home.

Gazing over the tables, I located my father and brothers pulling a couple of tables together.

"The girls and Kevin aren't here yet?" Emmett asked.

I shook my head. "No, when I was leaving the shelter, they were cleaning up. One of the shelter employees said they could use the shower room. Kevin said he'd ride with them."

"I can't blame them," Adrian murmured, his face scrunching up in disgust. "We all smelled like human food. I couldn't clean up quickly enough."

Archie grimaced. "That was really awful."

Chuckling, I sat between him and Carlisle. "No kidding. And I'm glad to be out of that damn suit."

"Awesome job, though, Santa," Jasper taunted, holding out his fist to bump it. When I raised an eyebrow at him, he laughed. "Seriously. You kinda rocked that shit."

Carlisle's hand landed on my shoulder. "Good job, son."

I smiled his way, but it was his thoughts I was listening to the most. He truly thought my gift was a big help, not only tonight, but it would serve me well in the career Bella and I were pursuing – child psychology.

"Oh, which reminds me," I said, answering his mental train of thought. "That last boy…Jeremy. His mom's name is Susan Holmes. Can you just…I don't know…pull some strings at the hospital?"

"Consider it done," Carlisle stated, and to him, the matter was closed. He'd already spoken to Alice.

"Why that kid?" Emmett asked. "I mean we saw a bunch of kids today."

I smiled, shrugging a shoulder. "I guess because he was so distraught when he showed up. He just about broke poor Bella's heart. He thought he'd missed Santa, and his poor face… It was all she could do not to wrap him up." I chuckled, my heart aching to see my girl. "Anyway, his mom was at the door. She knew what he'd ask for, but she didn't think he'd get it, especially so late. It's just the two of them. Divorce."

A guy stepped up on stage, walking over to karaoke equipment.

"Aw, hell. Is this why the girls wanted to come here?" Jasper asked with a laugh.

"Excellent!" Emmett beamed like a kid in a candy store. "It's not an open mic, but hey, what the hell?" he asked, picking up the song book.

All of us chuckled, but my father's mind went completely blank, and I shot a glance his way. He was now mentally naming off the bones in the human body in order, starting at the toes.

Narrowing my eyes at him, I asked, "Shouldn't the girls be here by now?"

"You'd think, but you know they run late when getting ready," he explained, his face blank of all expression. "Or maybe it's the weather slowing them down."

"Mmhm," I hummed, not believing a word of it. He was in on something. "Weather."

A waitress appeared at the table, eyeing the entire lot of us, and her mind went haywire for just a moment. She couldn't even speak as she took in what she thought to be the prettiest table full of men she'd ever seen.

I fought my grin, simply because Bella would've gotten a kick out of that, but I decided to help her out.

"Two pitchers and a dozen glasses, please," I ordered, simply to fit in with the people around us.

"A…A dozen?" she asked.

"Yes, please. Our wives and significant others will be joining us," I stated, gesturing to the empty chairs around the two large tables.

I ended with a smile, which made Jasper snort, but the young girl, whose name was Nicole, smiled back.

"Awesome," she sang, adjusting the red and white Santa hat perched on her head. "You guys gonna sing?"

"Maybe," Emmett said with a grin. "_Someone's_ gotta get the party started."

"Well, get in line, big guy," Nicole laughed. "The list is already pretty long. I'll be back."

Once she took a few more orders, she walked back to the bar, as the first singer up on stage was a rather drunk man. His rendition of Elvis's _Blue Christmas_ wasn't bad, but he slurred through most of it.

When he was finished, the applause was polite, and the guy running the karaoke machine, stepped up to the microphone, saying, "Okay, okay… Up next… Well, let's just say, if there's a Santa Claus, I know what I want under my tree."

My eyes narrowed, and I merely groaned at the man's thoughts. "Oh, hell." I pinched the bridge of my nose, shaking my head. "She's in _so_ much trouble…"

Carlisle cracked up, wrapping an arm around me. "I sincerely doubt that."

Glaring his way, I growled. "If she's wearing what that guy is showing me…they're all in trouble."

His face paled. "Seriously?"

I merely gestured toward the curtains that were parting. The tinkling bells of a song started, but there were six silhouettes on the stage, with one out front – one whose body I knew better than my own.

Bella's voice was full, beautiful, and so fucking sexy that I could barely breathe.

_I don't want a lot for Christmas._

_There is just one thing I need_

_I don't care about the presents, _

_Underneath the Christmas tree._

_I just want you for my own,_

_More than you could ever know._

_Make my wish come true, _

_All I want for Christmas is you._

The lights came up and I couldn't help but laugh and groan at the same time. Bella was absolutely the sexiest thing I'd ever laid eyes on in the hundred and fifteen years I'd been on this planet. She was standing out front wearing the most alluring and deadly red Santa dress with white, fluffy trim. It was short, flaring out just below that plump ass of hers. My eyes raked over black knee-high boots, strong thighs, and perfect breasts, before catching her naughty smile as she just took over the whole bar.

Her backup singers were just as deadly. Rose, Alice, Caroline, and Esme were all in matching dresses, only theirs were green and white. I couldn't help but chuckle when Kevin was Bella's dancing partner in his green suit and plaid vest. He spun her once, but she grinned, leaving the stage for the next verse and making her way to the table.

_Oh, I won't ask for much this Christmas_

_I won't even wish for snow_

_I'm just gonna keep on waitin' _

_Underneath the mistletoe_

_I won't make a list and send it to the North Pole for Saint Nick_

_I won't even stay awake to hear those magic reindeer click_

'_Cause I just want you here tonight,_

_Holdin' onto me so tight._

_What more can I do?_

_Baby, all I want for Christmas is you._

She walked around our table, shooting Carlisle a wink, but when she got to me, she stood between my legs. Fingers ruffled my hair, making my dick twitch hard behind the jeans I was wearing, but I couldn't stop myself from reaching out to touch the smooth, soft skin along the outside of her thigh.

She grabbed my hand, never missing a note, kissing my palm, but placing it back on my own leg. She shook her head at me and walked away to work the crowd, but came right back to me. This time, from behind me.

_All the lights are shinin' so brightly everywhere,_

_And the sound of children's laughter fills the air._

_And everyone is singin' _

_I hear those sleigh bells ringing_

_Santa won't you bring me the one I really need,_

_Won't you please bring my baby to me?_

With that, she dropped a kiss to my cheek, raking her fingers through my hair again, before taking the stage one more time. The thoughts in the bar were in awe of her voice, but they were also focused on her beauty, her legs, and her sweet, happy face. Every man wanted them. All of them. The women were jealous of her voice, who she was singing to, and her beauty. They wanted to _be_ her.

It was too much. I'd been away from her most of the damn day, staying right on the fringe of our ten mile limit. And when I did see her, I couldn't touch her like I wanted. I needed her on every level. I wanted to claim her in front of every male here, marking her as mine, to steal her away for the night, and to worship her. I needed to reconnect with her after being apart most of the day. But mainly, I wanted to know what was underneath that dress.

The group of them took their bows as the crowd cheered, and I would've stood up, but I had a serious problem, and I wasn't the only one at the table with that same problem.

Bella, Kevin, and the girls stepped off the stage, making their way to the table. My girl stepped back between my legs, leaning down to kiss my lips.

"Merry Christmas, Edward," she whispered, wearing a sexy smile. "It seems I'm not the only one that missed this."

"So much trouble," I muttered, toying with the fluffy fringe around the hem of her skirt and grinning up at her. "God, you're beautiful, love." I rubbed my chest briefly, but the action caught her eye.

_We can go, sweetheart. I got us a hotel room upstairs,_ she thought to me.

I thought about it for a moment, but I didn't want a hotel room on Christmas Eve, so I shook my head. "I want you home. Our home."

She smiled sweetly. "'Kay."

From the brief thoughts I was catching from my family, this had all been planned by the girls as a reward for our work at the hospital and shelter. Adrian and Kevin were getting up from the table to head to the hotel. Carlisle and Esme were deep in their own world. Everyone else was already gone. We'd sent Jasper into lust overload.

The drive home in the snowy weather was torture. Bella was too far away in the passenger seat, but if she came any closer than the hand on my leg, I'd start touching her and wouldn't be able to stop.

When I pulled into the garage, I glanced over at her, my head falling back to the head rest. Her mind was open to me, and I fought my smile at the fleeting idea that I might be mad at her. It was quite the opposite.

"Big trouble, Isabella. Huge," I said softly, my fingers reaching over to unbuckle her seatbelt. I tugged at the tie of her coat, opening it up so I could see that deadly dress and those dangerous thighs. "What do I do with you, my sexy girl?"

Her grin was blindingly beautiful. It lit up the inside of the car, making me chuckle.

"I was hoping you'd do whatever you wanted."

"Ah, I see," I sighed dramatically. "Is that part of my present, too?"

"Yes," she whispered, shivering under my touch as I dragged a finger down to her knee.

"Hmm," I hummed, pretending to think about it. "Then you'd better get inside, Bella. Start the fire and wait for me in the living room."

She squeaked, fumbling for the car door, and was inside the house in a blink of an eye. My head fell back to the head rest again, and I let out a deep breath. Her thoughts were open for a brief moment from inside the house. She was wondering which side of me would be joining her – Possessive Edward, for all the men that stared at her, Dominant Edward, since I kept telling her she was in trouble, or Dirty Edward, which was the one she wanted.

I chuckled to myself, but if my girl wanted to play, then we could definitely play. I got out of the car and closed up the garage, making more noise than necessary when I dropped my keys in the kitchen and removed my shoes and socks, simply to keep her guessing.

The only lights on in the house were the Christmas tree and the fire in the fireplace. My Bella was standing in the middle of the room. I picked up the remote for the stereo, turning on soft Christmas music. Taking a seat on the edge of sofa, I waved her to me.

"What to do…" I purred, reaching out and touching her the way I'd wanted to in the bar – flat palms on the outside of her thighs, my nose leaning in to inhale her cleavage, and lips ghosting across her immortal scar. _My scar._

"Edward, I…"

"Shh," I breathed against her collarbone, because I knew she was about five seconds from apologizing, and I damn well didn't want it. "Do you have _any_ idea what you in this dress, singing with that stunning voice, did to the poor patrons of the club, Mrs. Cullen?" I asked her in a low voice.

"I don't care," she answered. "I only care what you thought."

I hid my smile into her neck, dropping a long, slow, open-mouth kiss to where her pulse used to pound. Instead of the thump against my lips, the room filled with the scent of her. Pure, needy, aroused Bella. It was my favorite scent in the world.

"What I thought," I echoed slowly, pulling back to simply look at her. I shook my head. "I _think_ you live to drive me crazy, Bella." I cupped her ass, my curiosity skyrocketing at what was at my fingertips. It felt like lace and silk, but something else, too. "I _think_ we were pretty much thinking the same thing about what we wanted for Christmas, my deadly girl."

Bella smiled, but reached up to run her fingers through my hair.

"Ah ah…no touching," I reprimanded, and her hands fell back down to her sides. "Not yet, baby," I whispered, giving her lips barely a brush with my own, just to tell her I wanted to play. "Spread your legs a little."

Her feet shifted, and my eyes locked with dark and needy, as my fingers continued to explore underneath that dress. I teased the damp material between her legs, not giving her the pressure or friction she wanted.

"I'm no fool, Isabella," I told her, raising an eyebrow. "I know damn well you're wearing something sinful underneath this dress." When she countered my eyebrow with her own, I smirked. "The question remains… Did I earn it?"

She grinned knowingly. It was a fun rule that Bella liked to enforce occasionally. In order to see, I had to earn the privilege. And to earn it, I had to tell her stories. I loved my girl in lingerie, almost with an addiction. I happily paid her Victoria's Secret card every month with a satisfied grin on my face.

"So, what is it, love?" I asked her, reaching for the zipper of her dress in the middle of her back. "Have I earned it? I can't imagine there isn't something you don't know about me by now, beautiful."

"Never. I want more. Always," she whispered, her hands twitching at her sides.

"What's the question?"

"Why'd you help that little boy today? The last one?" she asked.

I wasn't expecting that question, but I answered her truthfully. "He needed it. He's the man of the house, and he wanted to prove it by trying to help his mom. The bike was for a paper route. And Alice saw her applying at the hospital, so Carlisle will make sure she gets the job."

"Aw," Bella crooned, and it looked like she'd have been crying if she were able.

"Don't feel sorry for him, sweet girl," I said, cupping her face. "He left feeling like a freakin' million bucks." I grinned when she giggled. "His words, not mine."

Bella reached back, guiding my hand to pull down the zipper. The velvet dress fell to the floor in a pool of red and white, but what was underneath was just as stunning – red lace and silk underwear and a strapless bra. My girl started to reach for her boots, but I stopped her.

"Oh, no…those stay on," I practically growled, my eyes taking in every inch of her. "Turn around," I ordered, wondering about the smirk on her face, but my question was answered when I saw her sweet ass in front of me.

The words "Dear Santa…Define naughty" was written across it in scrolling black embroidery. Grinning, my forehead hit the small of her back. God, I loved this dangerous creature. I dropped a kiss to each dimple above her ass before reaching up to unhook her bra. I pulled it away, tossing it to the floor.

"Define naughty," I crooned, cupping both of her cheeks in my hand and giving them a good squeeze. "How about…driving the male population of this town into a lust-filled frenzy?" I asked, popping her right butt cheek with a flat hand.

The squeak and then low moan was my reward.

"How about…you almost caused me to sever the heads of some people thinking dirty things about what's…_mine_?" I asked, popping her left cheek, only to rub between her legs. "Hmm, I'm thinking punishment isn't exactly working, Isabella."

"Edward…"

"Patience," I purred, turning her back to face me.

I leaned forward, trailing kisses along her stomach, over each hip bone, and finally, up between her breasts to her scar. I barely allowed my nose to trace the edge of it, because I knew she'd fall apart the second my mouth came in contact with it. It was overly sensitive, something left from her change, and it drove her crazy. But I wasn't quite ready to push her over the edge. I pulled back to gaze up at her, my fingers toying with the waistband of her underwear.

Yanking them down over her ass, I said, "Step out of them."

She was completely bare in front of me, save for those boots, her eyes darkening to pitch black, especially when I had to adjust myself behind my jeans.

_I can help with that, you know,_ she thought, wearing a smile that she completely got from me – all crooked and mischievous.

"Yes, ma'am. And you will, but…" I lightly popped the side of her leg and then my thigh. "Put that leg up here."

The very second her leg lifted, the scent of her hit me like a freight train.

"Oh fuck," I hissed, leaning in and inhaling her skin from her knee all the way to her inner thigh. "That sweet pussy smells delicious, baby," I growled, allowing just the tip of my tongue to taste what had leaked onto her thigh. Dragging my tongue along my bottom lip, I savored the flavor of her – sweet, salty, musky, and all Bella.

"Edward…_please_," she begged.

I guided her to the coffee table behind her, shoving magazines and books to the floor with a sweep of my arm. I laid her down, grasping each leg behind the knees and spreading her open.

"Should I let you come, Bella?" I asked her, pinning her to the table by her legs as I leaned in closer. "Tell me, sweet girl. Should I make you cry out _my_ name?"

"Please, Edward!" she cried out, the heels of those boots digging into my shoulders.

"Exactly like that." I raked my tongue from one end of her to the other, stopping just short of her clit. The taste of her at the source was almost overwhelming. I moaned, gripping her legs tighter when she tried to grind up with her hips. "Keep still, love," I warned her. "Remember…you brought this on yourself, Bella…"

She huffed a breathy laugh, and I couldn't help but smile, because no matter what, she loved every part of my personality – possessive, dominate, dirty. She didn't care. And it was that thought that made me dive into her like a starving man.

"God, yes," she growled, her head falling back over the other side of the table. Her hair fell to the rug in chocolate waves. "Just like that…"

I hummed against her, trailing my tongue from one entrance to the other, finally latching on to her clit. Her taste was divine, a sweet, sinful treat that at one time in my life I didn't think I deserved. She taught me differently every single day. At that thought, I gave her what she wanted. I drank from her, teased her, and finally allowed her to fuck my face by letting go of her legs and bracing myself on the table. Her fingers threaded into my hair, guiding me to where she wanted me. She fell apart with a scream, her entire body bowing up off the table in a stunning arc.

Leaning over her, I slipped my fingers into her hair to bring her head up. "Bella-love, open your eyes." When still-heated black opened to meet my gaze, I brushed my lips over hers. "You still want to know what I thought?" I asked, kissing her again when she nodded. "You were absolutely fucking stunning tonight, baby."

I could feel it in my chest when our connection kicked the electricity up in the room. It caused my breathing to falter, so I gathered my girl into my arms and sat back onto the sofa with her straddling my lap.

"I love you," I simply said, bringing her forehead to my own.

As always, a spark flickered in her eyes when I said those words, and she echoed them right back. "I love you, too, Edward."

She slipped her hands beneath my sweater, gathering it up so she could tug it off. It fell to the floor atop her dress, and she then reached for my jeans. She was all things luminous and beautiful as the Christmas lights bounced off her skin. She loomed over me, her hand releasing me from my jeans at the same time her mouth met mine.

Suddenly, I didn't want to play anymore. I just wanted my wife – in whatever capacity she'd give me.

"Bella," I whispered, trailing kisses down her neck.

"Yeah," was all the answer I received. I turned us so that I could lay her on the sofa.

Kicking out of my jeans, I settled between her legs, purring at the feel of those boot heels digging into the backs of my thighs.

"Did you mean what you told Santa?" I asked, bending down to finally brush my lips across my scar, my mark on her. "That you had everything you could ask for?"

She cupped my face, bringing my gaze to hers. "Every wish on every fallen star," she said, repeating what I'd written to her.

My kiss was reverent, soft, languid as I slipped inside of her. The snow continued to fall outside, the fire crackled in the fireplace, and I couldn't imagine my life any better than it was. The angelic girl beneath me was every Christmas wish I'd ever had.

I loved her slowly, taking my time, simply to illicit as many sounds as I could. We came together almost silently, but I dragged the blanket off the back of the sofa, cocooning us in front of the fire.

Pulling her close, our legs tangling, I smiled at the fact that we'd both given the same present to each other – ourselves.

"Merry Christmas, sweet girl."

A soft kiss was pressed to my jaw. "Merry Christmas, Edward."

**~oOo~**

**A/N… I need to thank Pamela (drivingEdward) for helping me clean this up. It felt a little like cheating on Jenny, but she came through in a pinch. ;) LOL Also, Beffers87 made the most gorgeous banner for this (also a present to Jenny) and it can be found on FB and Twitter.**

**Jenny…again, I hope you have an amazing and fun birthday. I hope you know I love you so much. MWAH **

**Deb ;)**


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